{"product_id":"cairns-messengers-in-stone-9781594856815","title":"Cairns: Messengers in Stone","description":"Praise for author David B. Williams: \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Makes stones sing\" --\u003cem\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Williams's lively mixture of hard science and piquant lore is sure to fire the readers' curiosity\" --\u003cem\u003ePublisher's Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e*Part history, part folklore, part geology\u003cbr\u003e* Features charming black-and-white illustrations\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom meadow trails to airy mountaintops and wide open desert, cairns -- those seemingly random stacks of rocks -- are surprisingly rich in stories and meaning. For thousands of years cairns have been used by people to connect to the landscape and communicate with others, and are often an essential guide to travelers. Cairns, manmade rock piles can indicate a trail, mark a grave, serve as an altar or shrine, reveal property boundaries or sacred hunting grounds, and even predict astronomical activity. The Inuit have more than two dozen terms to describe cairns and their uses \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eCairns: Messengers in Stone\u003c\/em\u003e, geologist and acclaimed nature writer David B. Williams (\u003cem\u003eStories in Stone: Travels through Urban Geology\u003c\/em\u003e) explores the history of cairns from the moors of Scotland to the peaks of the Himalaya -- where they come from, what they mean, why they're used, how to make cairns, and more. Cairns are so much more than a random pile of rocks, knowing how to make cairns can drastically alter the meaning of the formation. Hikers, climbers, travelers, gardeners, and nature buffs alike will delight in this quirky, captivating collection of stories about cairns.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWilliams, David:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDAVID B. WILLIAMS\u003c\/strong\u003e is a freelance natural history writer and author of \u003cem\u003eThe Seattle Street-Smart Naturalist: Field Notes from the City \u003c\/em\u003eand the highly-praised \u003cem\u003eStories in Stone\u003c\/em\u003e. His work has appeared in \u003cem\u003eSmithsonian, Popular Mechanics, California Wild, \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eHigh Country News\u003c\/em\u003e, and he is a contributing writer for \u003cem\u003eEarth\u003c\/em\u003e magazine. Williams lives with his wife in the Green Lake neighborhood of Seattle. Visit him online at geologywriter.com.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mountaineers Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50567019757842,"sku":"9781594856815","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e8221a05-dbbe-4559-a63d-b6b6b1944c08.jpg?v=1731906418","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/cairns-messengers-in-stone-9781594856815","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}