Flint - A Lithic Love Letter

Joanne Bourne has been fascinated and entranced by flint for all of her life. Growing up in Kent, she saw it everywhere - in pubs, churches, castles, garden walls, driveway edgings and even just weighing down dustbin lids. For centuries it was the only building stone available.

Flint is a 'biogenic' rock, formed from the remains of plankton and sea sponges. It has special properties, which we have exploited over the course of our evolutionary development: second only to diamond for hardness, it was indispensable for weaponry, and, as any child who strove for flint sparks on a beach knows, it gave us a means to create fire. 

With an erudite and interdisciplinary approach, fusing science, poetry and history, Bourne shares her passion for this magical stone, which she calls 'an art project of the great divine’ - and invites us to roam with her in search of it on her beloved North Downs. At once informative, entertaining and soulful, this book would make a wonderful gift for lovers of the Kent landscape and an inspiring read for anyone who stoops to inspect flinty treasure underfoot.

Paperback, 224 pages
Measures 19.7 x 13 x 1.7cm