- Hardcover: 176 pages
- Publisher: NPI Media Group; illustrated edition edition (1 Oct 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0752414003
- ISBN-13: 978-0752414003
- Product Dimensions: 25.5 x 17.7 x 1.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
134,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #93 in Books > History > Archaeology > By Region > European
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
People have lived in Scotland for at least 10,000 years. Yet history books rarely feature the first 9,000 years. This book explores the full history of Scotland by looking at 100 of the most exciting monuments from the Neolithic age to the Vikings'
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This new mid-sized hardback from Tempus fills the gap between the guide book and the conventional subject-based history book. There's a good summary at the start, and the chapters are arranged by time period, describing each site in turn in a lot more detail than you'd get in a guide book. Ages covered include the first Neolithic Settlers, Bronze Age Tombs and Henges, the Iron Age, Brochs, the Romans, Picts and finally the Vikings.
The book has a lively, informal and readable style, and dipping in and out is a pleasurable way to read it. It has thoughtful analysis of sites like Skara Brae, and is bang up to date with descriptions of the Barnhouse Settlement on Orkney and the Cramond Lioness, found in the sediment in the bay on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
The plans are good - I'd have liked more. The colour plates are good, although the sumptuous photographic excesses of Max Milligan in Circles of Stone have made me unnecessarily over-critical. It's not fair of me to compare these with a thirty pound art book so I won't!
The description of Cairnpapple Hill makes it sound more interesting than I'd at first thought, and convinces me that we must make time next time we're near Edinburgh, and not spend all our day in the city. Unless I'm mistaken, Isbister chambered tomb is not local-authority owned, but on the land of maverick farmer Mr Simieson - who wouldn't take too kindly to being referred to as a 'guide' I shouldn't think. There's a good description of the fragile sandstone carvings at Ballochmoyle, and Armit considers whether they were inspired by 'hallucinogenic phenomena experienced by intoxicated shamen'. Although he acknowledges the complexity of the sites around Callanish, and the Ponting's moon re-appearance on the horizon theory, he doesn't have time for theories of complex calculations of the path of the moon at Callanish, or the Hill 'o many Stanes. This puts him in line with current archaeological thinking, which is fair enough I suppose. There's thorough coverage of the Broch-building tradition, Pictish stones and carvings .
If I was to create in my head a 'Fantasy Guide Book' it would have photographs by Max Milligan, layout and style from Julian Cope's Modern Antiquarian, the attention to detail, wit and extensive coverage of Aubrey Burl, the plans of Alaxander Thom and a good smattering of the text from this book.
An index by geographical area would be a very useful addition. Although each chapter has a map, there's no overall guide to each area of Scotland, making it difficult to think, OK - I'm going to North Uist (for example), what can I find there from all periods to see? Having said that this book will definitely be going on our next outing to Scotland, and there's no better praise than that.
Review by Andy Burnham
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
WELL WRITTEN GUIDE TO SOME OF SCOTLANDS`S FINEST SITES.
MAINLY AIMED AT THE PRE HISTORY OF SCOTLAND. BUT AS ONE FOLLOWING
THE ROMAN TRAIL I FOUND THE ROMAN SECTION INTERESTING, JUST THE REFERENCE RE ORKNEY SUBMITTING TO CLAUDIUS IN 43 WAS WELL WORTH THE PURCHASE OF THIS BOOK.
MAINLY AIMED AT THE PRE HISTORY OF SCOTLAND. BUT AS ONE FOLLOWING
THE ROMAN TRAIL I FOUND THE ROMAN SECTION INTERESTING, JUST THE REFERENCE RE ORKNEY SUBMITTING TO CLAUDIUS IN 43 WAS WELL WORTH THE PURCHASE OF THIS BOOK.
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Ancient History & Civilisation
- Books > History > Archaeology > By Region > European
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Ireland
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Scotland
- Books > History > Europe
- Books > History > World History
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
