Helen Gordon

Helen Gordon on The Meteorites

Touch the vastness of the universe with Helen Gordon and her new book, The Meteorites.

From your window you can see the stars and distant planets: light years away, it's easy to think that our existences and theirs will never intersect. Yet meteorites - mysterious, irregular rocks of sometimes immense value - connect us with the vastness of the universe. They may have brought the first life to our planet, and today they still reveal extraordinary scientific insights. Helen Gordon reveals the fascinating stories of fallen meteorites and the lives they've touched - from collectors to kings, scientists to farmers. She meets amateur astronomers and gem dealers, goes meteorite hunting across rooftops and learns what objects moving through space can tell us about the fragility of life on Earth.

Helen Gordon is a writer and natural historian. Her books include Being a Writer and the acclaimed Notes from Deep Time, as well as a novel, Landfall. She has written for 1843 magazine, the Guardian and Wired, edited for Granta, and teaches Creative Writing at the University of Hertfordshire.