David Brown Book Company

The Cistercian abbey of St Mary Stratford Langthorne, Essex; archaeological excavations for the London Underground Limited Jubilee Line extension project.

The site of the Cistercian monastery of St. Mary Stratford Langthorne (founded in the 12th century) was all but lost beneath London's post- medieval industrial development and later engineering and railway works. This volume reports the findings of excavations conducted between 1973 and 1994 in the area of the church, cemetery, and related buildings. It also provides a chronological account of the abbey and addresses current research debates surrounding the way of life of its inhabitants. Distributed in North America by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The Cistercians in Wales; architecture and archaeology, 1130-1540.

The white monks in Wales not only tapped into the strong popular eremetical and heroic element in the traditions of north and west Wales, but were also cultured men who often traveled abroad, to the annual Cistercian gathering at Citeaux, and elsewhere in Europe even to pursue litigation in the Roman curia. Welsh-educated historical geographer Robinson looks at 14 permanent abbeys established during the four centuries in terms of those two themes, examining the religious and architectural context, the abbey churches, and the monastic buildings. A catalogue of the sites is included. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Culture, censorship and the state in twentieth-century Italy.

These essays reflect recent work on the cultural history of modern Italy, which has challenged received opinion about the relationship between state and culture during the 20th century. The contributors elucidate the complex negotiations of control through case studies of major authors, filmmakers and artists and their encounters with censorship, patronage and other forms of state intervention. They also provide new research into Fascist censorship; the impact of the Resistance on the collective memory; the introduction of television; and the terrorism of the 1970s. Distributed by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Cult image and divine representation in the ancient Near East.

Four papers from a session at the November 2000 annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature consider divine representation in ancient Israel and the Near East. They cover Egypt, Hittite Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Syro-Palestinian iconography. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Deconstructing context; a critical approach to archaeological practice.

In an attempt to correct misconceptions that have grown in time about the concept of context in archeological practice, these contributors speak from their differing specialties, regional traditions and research strategies to find common ground. The general topics include theoretical and methodological approaches to context, archeological context and material culture, and context and the management of the archeological record. Specific topics include the social zooarcheology of the Neolithic farming settlements, a study of material culture from Marki, Cyprus, several articles on the interpretation of potsherds, and materialized narratives in terms of reconstruction. Distributed by The David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Digging numbers; elementary statistics for archaeologists, 2d ed.

Fletcher (statistics, Staffordshire University) and Lock (archaeology, University of Oxford) offer a gentle introduction to statistical methods for archaeology students and professionals. A data set describing 40 spearheads is used to illustrate statistical procedures. Coverage encompasses descriptive and inferential techniques, and a few common multivariate techniques, with problems worked by hand. There is also an introduction to SPSS for Windows. The book is distributed in North America by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Dynamics of northern societies; proceedings.

The first such conference was held in 1999, and the second was convened in the same spirit of international collaboration and open discussion on Arctic and North Atlantic archaeological research. Among the topics are indigenous observations, archaeology and the modeling of Arctic climate change; the actions and reactions of the Paleo-Eskimo colonizing Labrador; Assivit as focal places in historical Greenland; and the underground economy of Viking Age Iceland. There is no index. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Egypt and Austria I; proceedings.

The fifteen essays presented by Holaubek (Institute of Epyptology, Austria) and Navrátilová (Czech Institute of Epyptology, Czech Republic) are taken from an August/September 2004 symposium dedicated to investigating connections between Egypt, on the one hand, and Austrians and Czechs, on the other. Topics include first-hand accounts of Egypt, the Levant, and Ethiopia by 18th century Franciscan missionaries; Austrian architects on the Nile (1869-1914); travelers to Egypt in the 1920s and 1930s, the reception of Ancient Egyptian artifacts in the collection of Emperor Rudolf II, and the Oriental diplomacy of the Hapsburg Monarchy in the first half of the 19th century. Four of the fifteen contributions are presented in German. Distributed in the US by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Feather crown; the eighteen feasts of the Mexica year.

Brotherston, who is not further identified on the book, explains the Feasts of the Aztec or Mexica, focusing on their mechanisms, the philosophical and imaginative wealth embedded in them, their origins and roots in worship, and their interface with the imported Christian calendar. He includes maps, color plates, and charts. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

First impressions; cylinder seals in the ancient Near East.

A specialist on cylinder seals, Collon here reveals what can be learned about life and culture in the ancient Near East from the seals themselves and their impressions. She does not attempt deep interpretations of the images impressed in clay, only points out the variety of figures — usually kings or deities — depicted at different times and places. First published in 1987 and in paper in 1993; some revisions were made for the current edition. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Frank Sutcliffe; photographer of Whitby.

Hiley (De Montfort U., UK) provides a study of the life and career of Frank Sutcliffe (1853-1941), a photographer who lived in Whitby during the Victorian period. Hiley traces his childhood, early interest in photography, portraits of townspeople, style, landscapes and figure studies, works for Kodak, and those of the town itself. Incorporated throughout the text are excerpts from his writings, and 64 full-page plates of his b&w photographs are included. Distributed in the US by David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Garden archaeology.

A late pioneer in the field of garden archeology, who applied his methods to investigating historic gardens in the UK, offers a handbook on a pursuit expected to increase given growing interest in garden restoration and international ties. Currie traces the field's development and methods, then offers case studies of formal and informal gardens. The guide includes color plates of premier garden sites. Distributed by The David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The Greeks in the East.

Eight contributions from archaeologists describe research on ancient Greek activity in the East. The volume (which is not indexed) contains papers originally presented at a December 1997 colloquium held at the British Museum. Some, but not all, have been updated for publication. Topics include aspects of Bronze Age trade; the changing relationship of the Euboeans and the East; and Greek influence on Achaemenid art and architecture. Photographs of artifacts, in b&w and color, accompany the text. Distributed in the U.S. by the David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

A history of the stained glass of St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Contributors identified only by name present seven essays on the stained glass at the famous tourist spot. Their topics include the Netherlandish glass in the Upper Chantry of King Edward IV, the stained glass of Thomas Willement, John Pipe and the stained glass of the King George VI Memorial Chapel 1967-69, and the heraldic windows. Color photographs and location maps are provided, but no index. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The historical topography of Samarra.

Samarra, north of Baghdad, was founded in 836 as a royal capital and military for the Abbasid field army by the caliph al-Mu'tasim. When first the army and then the caliph wandered off some six decades later, the city retracted into the several self-sustaining centers that exist today. Because there was little further development, much of the ninth-century architecture remains. Northedge (Islamic art and archaeology, U. de Paris I.-Panthéon-Sorbonne) places that brief history of Samarra within the context of long-term human occupation of the area and contemporary events nearby. In addition to maps and drawings, he includes 88 black-and-white photographs. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Household, women, and Christianities; in late antiquity and the middle ages.

Nine essays that emerged from a three conferences on Women in the Christian Tradition in Europe from Late Antiquity to the Reformation, held between 1992 and 1998, explore the positioning, image, role, and histories of women and Christianity. The fundamental question is whether the Christian Church was structurally so androcentric as to in some final sense exclude women from meaningful roles in Christianity. Among the topics are the icon corner in Medieval Byzantium, the effect of conversion on women in Scandinavia, the monastery as a household within the universal household, and the household as a site of civic and religious instruction. No index is provided. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Imagining the book.

English, Irish, Welsh, and American medieval scholars construct images of the pre-modern English book in some of its myriad forms, and discuss the implications of doing so for the understanding of medieval book history. They image compilers and editors, patrons and collectors, readings and readers, and verbal and visual cultures. The 15 essays are from an April 2001 colloquium in Belfast. Only manuscripts are indexed. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Inhabiting Çatalhöyük; reports from the 1995-99 seasons. (CD-ROM included)

The fourth of a projected six-volume series, this volume describes findings and conclusions about inhabiting the town. The three parts examine the relationship between the site and its environment, diet, lifeways, population, and the ways in which the structures and spaces were used and lived in. The discussion is based on analysis of evidence that includes faunal and charred archaeobotanical remains, phytoliths, shells, charcoal, human remains, and sediments. The text is heavily illustrated with tables, drawings, and b&w photos of the site and the finds. There is a lengthy list of references, but no index. Distributed in the U.S. by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Knossos; the little palace.

The Little Palace at Knossos is the largest house yet found within the Bronze Age town of Knossos in Greece and has been explored in archaeological campaigns of 1905, 1908, and 1910. Most attention concerning the structure has focused on the date of its destruction, because of importance of that event in the wider debate over the date of the destruction of the more famous last Palace of Knossos. In contrast, this work is focused no the Little Palace's earlier history and construction date. It analyzes and synthesizes the original excavation notebooks, the architectural remains, and the surviving pottery and small finds, in addition to the results of the 1985 restoration program conducted under the auspices of the 23rd Ephoreia of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities. The analysis reconstructs the history of the Little Palace within the urban landscapes of Neo-palatial, Final Palatial, and Post-palatial Knossos. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Kommos; a Minoan harbor town and Greek sanctuary in southern Crete.

Shaw (U. of Toronto) has directed excavations at Kommos since they began in 1976, and here presents a guide for visitors to the site, placing the once thriving port within the historical context of the Bronze Age eastern Mediterranean. Color photographs illustrate the landscape and the excavations. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)