I’ll put this link up before I forget. Michael E. Smith is looking for what you think are the best new archaeology books. It made me realise that this year I don’t think I’ve really taken much time out to read for pleasure. I’ve got a couple of new Anthony Aveni books which I haven’t had chance to read yet. However, I think top of the list will be Adam Stout’s Creating prehistory : Druids, ley hunters and archaeologists in pre-war Britain. I attended a talk by him when it was work in progress and I thought it was an interesting take on the history of archaeology. Quite a few histories emphasis the development of scientific progress in archaeology, the context being what came before and what when after. Stout’s view strikes me as being a bit more, archaeological for want of a better word. He was emphasising the social context of archaeology including the actions of antiquarians. I can’t remember if it was him or Ronald Hutton who suggested that, in the UK, archaeology supplanted antiquarian use of prehistoric sites – rather than grew from it.

I don’t think it’s going to be a universally popular book and I’ll be surprised if I agree with all of it. On the other hand I think he’ll have had a go at string an argument together and, last time I read something by him, he’s capable of writing without it being like sandpaper on the eyes. Having said that the first sentence of the sample chapter looks odd. Hopefully he explained what the Universal Bond was in an earlier chapter.

Anyway, if you have an opinion an what you think is the best new archaeology book, leave him a comment.