The Modern Antiquarian: A Pre-millennial Odyssey Through Megalithic Britain : Including a Gazetteer to Over 300 Prehistoric Sites [Hardcover]

Julian Cope has come a long way since the Teardrop Explodes. For eight years he has researched Britain's megalithic heritage in order to write about its inspirational and mythic importance.The Modern Antiquarian is quite an achievement, in which the singing space cadet once more reconciles himself to Earth. Book One is a series of ten essays reconstructing British paganism prior to the muscular intervention of Christianity. Seriously subjective, frequently wayward, they collectively seek to recover the Great Goddess, and restore a sense of femininity and spirituality to our landscape, dotted with its long barrows and standing stones. In the process, Cope introduces imaginative etymosophies [sic] and some wonderful chapter headings, such as "Why the Romans were so Heavy", and "Ur Indoors", while indulging his distaste for cities and his love of Roman-bashing, for their corruption of collective folk memory, and the straightness of their roads. Cope's own infectious vision is, understandably, more circular, if not exactly rounded. It would be easy to mock, with its amateur snaps (sometimes including a variously coiffed Cope or family, for scale, one presumes), and homespun New Age philosophy. However, Book Two, a rainbow-indexed gazetteer to over 300 prehistoric sites in Britain, is tremendous. Each entry combines a photograph, Ordnance Survey directions, a paragraph of geo-historical significance, and a personal observational note of Cope's. Occasional poetry surfaces--"Atop Knap Hill I eat my snot/For 'tis the only food I got"--but generally the absurdities are kept at bay, as St Julian leads us on a pilgrimage. There are even charming guidelines for those who use the gazetteer properly, including the invaluable tip to keep a plastic bag down your sock to collect rubbish in (Julian does). Splendidly eccentric, impossible not to enjoy, and as much a map of the errant genius of Cope as the land with which he so passionately communes. --David Vincent

'Utterly unique…opens a real window on Britain's prehistory.' The Times

'A unique blend of information, observation, personal experience and opinion… A strange and marvellous artefact.' The Independent

'Not only a joy, but a useful field guide.' The Guardian

'Immensely detailed and sumptuously illustrated…an essential guide' The Daily Telegraph

‘A remarkable fusion of scholarship, practical advice and visionary insight’ Daily Express

'A sumptuous technicolour delight. Erudite, playful and provocative.' Mojo

'...expect the pathways to our most far-flung moorland monuments to be worn deep into trenches.’

‘Deeply impressive… ancient history: the new rock ’n’ roll.’ The Times

Julian Cope’s bestselling modern classic, The Modern Aniquarian, is now released in a beautiful new hardback package. Having sold over 50,000 copies in two highly successful editions.

Julian Cope is one of Britain’s best known and most-celebrated post-punk visionaries. In this historical masterpiece, he takes us on an unforgettable journey across the British Isles, uncovering the first temples ever built and their myriad descendants, the relics of which can still be seen today.

The Modern Antiquarian is the result of an eight-year odyssey in search of the roots of British cultural identity. Of the countless sites visited, Cope has selected over 300 of the very best; photographing their remains and explaining fully their relationships with the landscape.

This book shines a powerful light onto the past of a nation hoodwinked into believing that its history began with the Roman conquest. Cope’s deft prose examines our prehistoric beginnings through the evidence of megalithic remains and their surroundings, allowing us for the first time to reconcile the tapestry of our past with modern life.

Julian Cope shot to fame with his band Teardrop Explodes at the height of the post-punk renaissance. Since then he has recorded over 20 albums and become a true cult hero. His revolutionary books, The Modern Antiquarian and two-part autobiography Head On/Repossessed, are bestsellers in their genres and have secured his place in our culture’s history.