Ahtushi Despande’s Speaking Stones: Rock Art of Ladakh is stunning, both for its photographic flair and deep research into the subject matter. This volume transcends the notion of a regular coffee-table book — one that contains highly skilled and stylised image-making, and a wealth of previously unknown information that is compassionately written. The close-ups of petroglyphs and subject-lit night photography stand out for me, among many other qualities.