I love this book. So insightful about crystals and their stories, and lots of pictures to boot. My only negative was I wanted to learn even more about certain crystals! But knew the author couldn't get into specifics, since there were so many.

Perhaps not for the beginner, this crystal book should definately tickle the fancy of most crystal collectors and practitioners. Most interesting is Perrakis's inclusion of crystal mythology. Crystals chosen are accompanied with legends from places such as ancient Eygpt, India, Rome and even the bible to name a few. Some will get a kick out of the Atlantis Lemurian Annuki stories, or it may just be a little too cray cray for some. The book concludes with a beautiful outdoor crystal grid meditation connecting your crystals back to the womb of Earth. This book has certainly intrigued me to investigate some of the rarer crystals listed.

This is the book regarding crystals I have been looking for! Athena Perraks goes into about each crystal including where it was found and any lore behind the stone. This isn't just another guide to crystals, this is informative information that helps explain why crystals have become popular. Each crystal is pictured in beautiful detail and I went away with understanding, I hadn't gotten anywhere else.

As a relative newbie in this life to crystals and their uses, I found this a brilliant starter. The history was interesting and the structure of the chapters, focusing on each area of mythology was very useful for reference.

I have always been drawn to crystals and now I've got some ideas on which ones I'd like to buy first and use in my meditations.

I think this will be a great history and guide book for both beginners and more advanced practitioners of crystals. I loved it.

This is a useful reference with interesting stories attached to each crystal. An enjoyable read, something for every new or seasoned crystal collector.

There are a lot of crystals books that focus on the metaphysical properties or working with crystals to better your life, but this is the first book I've read that delves into the historical connections humanes have with stones. By looking at how humans through history have interacted and looked at the crystals we still use today, we can get a better insight into their properties and it connects us to our ancestors. It also showed me how the gifts of mother earth have been seen as special, magical objects for thousands of years, helping to validate their power. Athena has a way of making information easily digestible and a pleasure to read about and the only critique is I wanted to learn even more! A great edition to my metaphysical library.

This is the crystal book that needed to be written - there are many crystal books about the metaphysical properties, but a compilation of history, folklore, and legends of crystals was lacking. I'm so glad Dr. Athena Perrakis was the person to finally publish this type of book! The photos are lovely supplement, but it's the content that really makes this book such a treasure and a joy to read. The organization of the material is easily divided into geographical region, with additional sections such as the crystals of the zodiac. It is written in a clear and concise manner, and I could not put it down! I found myself appreciating my crystal collection a lot more and I can't wait to read her future books she has planned.

Crystal Lore, Legends & Myth by Athena Perrakis explores crystal lore from around the world. The leanings are definitely magickal, and the very first chapter discusses Lemuria and Atlantis. The rest of the chapters progress through major human civilisations/ time eras from Sumerians to modern times. The final chapters explore things like quantum healing, zodiacal associations, and using crystals to access Earth wisdom. Each chapter has background, a chart of relevant gems, and a deeper look at each gem in the chart. There are also gorgeous pictures of the crystals.

Even given my own pagan/ magickal outlook, I had trouble with the first chapter. Plato's Atlantis was a story, not a reality. There is absolutely no archaeological evidence to support the existence of either Lemuria or Atlantis. Nor do I hold much truck with the notion of ancient aliens that sparked human civilisation. No, son. There's an equal lack of archaeological evidence to support that ridiculous idea.

Frisson with Chapter 1 aside, I enjoyed learning about the gemstones. Many I was already familiar with, but several were new to me. I found some new ones to work with myself, including atlantisite, for its healing properties. I was sold at 'helps with chronic/ persistent health problems'.

There are lots of neat facts scattered throughout too. I had no idea that Emperor Tiberius enjoyed gardening, for one. It covers the stones in the Breastplate of Aaron, the most in-depth I've read about before. That was quite interesting.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I have to say I have always loved crystals and gemstones. I love the stories behind them and how they are used. This book talks about lost places and stones named over those locations. There is myths and legends. I liked the second on zodiac and the months and crystals that belong with each. I read my horoscope almost daily. Good read.