David Brown Book Company
Multimedia histories; from the magic lantern to the internet.
Lyons (film studies, Exeter U., UK) and Plunkett (Victorian literature, Exeter U., UK) bring together 16 chapters of new media scholarship by contributors in the fields of communication, media studies, film, English, and others from the UK and US. In historical and theoretical case studies, these scholars discuss connections between digital culture and the history of screen and audio technologies in the nineteenth through twenty-first centuries in addition to the social, political, and aesthetic ramifications of multimedia history. They consider the multi-media character of devices ranging from the stereoscope to television, including automata, digital art, wireless radio, curiosity cabinets, and early film exhibition. Sections are organized around concepts: culture, aesthetics, and influence; remediation; consumption and interactivity, and convergence. Specifically, they address the impact of cinema, radio, and computing, the remaking of pre-existing artistic forms through new media, screen entertainments and interactive experiences, and processes of media convergence. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Munuscula amicorum; contributions on Rubens and his colleagues in honour of Hans Vlieghe; 2v.
The 34 scholarly articles of this well illustrated two- volume Festschrift delve into many aspects of Rubens' oeuvre and that of his contemporaries, as well as the larger context of painting and patronage in 17th-century Flanders. Following a tribute to Vlieghe and bibliography of his scholarship, David Freedberg (art history, Columbia U., New York) offers an essay on connoissership. The subsequent articles are grouped into four sections: Rubens's reputation and life, his works, the artistic and architectural commissions of his contemporaries, and their paintings and audience. Typical for this publisher, the plates are numerous and of superb quality. The origin of the Festschrift was a Symposium held in May 2005 at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in the Netherlands. Fourteen of the articles are in Dutch, two are in German, the balance are in English. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Naukratis; Greek diversity in Egypt, studies on East Greek pottery and exchange in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The 23 papers emerged from a workshop held at the Museum in December 2004 in conjunction with the Naukratis Project based at the Gutenberg-Universiät Mainz. They look at remains of archaic pottery made on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea that have been found in the Greek trading port of Naukratis in the Egyptian Nile Delta, and consider their use, production centers, and distribution. They focus in turn on the port; the pottery; and contact, exchange, and identity. No index is provided. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Nicopolis ad Istrum; a late Roman and early Byzantine city: the finds and the biological remains.
This third volume completes the description of the excavation carried out by the British team on the site of the Roman city in northern Bulgaria. The findings are not only relevant to the site itself, but also serve as a model and example for the Balkans as a whole, where very little research of this kind and a this scale has been undertaken for the late Roman and early Byzantine period. Among the finds described are metalwork, ceramic objects, sculpture and architectural decoration, large mammal and reptile bones, bird bones, human skeletal remains, and metallurgical debris. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Panayia Ematousa; a rural site in south-eastern Cyprus; 2v.
The result of excavations by the U. of Copenhagen (Denmark) Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology in the 1990s, this 2v. work offers a valuable addition to the relatively new field of rural archaeology, with chapters on sculpture and tombs extending into the realm of art history. The site dates from Hellenistic and Roman times. Chapters detail the ground stone industry and architecture there, with separate chapters devoted to the survey and discussion of Iron Age pottery, ceramic fine wares, cooking wares, utility amphorae, lamps, terracotta figurines, glass, coins, and roof tiles. Heavily illustrated with drawings and photos, including some color photos. Not indexed. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Parts and wholes; fragmentation in prehistoric context.
Chapman, Gaydarska (both archeology, Durham U.) and their collaborators integrate archeology, anthropology and material culture to study the premise that many objects in the past were deliberately broken and then re-used thereafter. The authors carefully define their novel ideas, including the notion that fragmentation could be a desired outcome of the user, to how fragments affect categorization and theories of enchainment. They show what can be determined about whole objects given the issue of fragmentation, then describe evidence in Hamangia figurines, failures in re-fitting studies and biographical approaches to artifacts. They also describe the directions of further research and provide a comprehensive bibliography, very informative illustrations and a set of color plates. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
People and space in the middle ages; 300-1300.
The concern here is not with outer space, which had yet to be invented, nor with the inner space of conscience and faith, but with middle space, where people live: the landscape. Historians specializing in the early and central Middle Ages discuss how human communities used land, and how the communities were shaped in turn by the landed resources available. Their topics include the curious landscape of Reykjahverfi in northeastern Iceland, mapping the land units of late Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, and memory and space in Medieval monasteries. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Performing death; social analyses of funerary traditions in the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean.
The 16 papers are from a February 2006 seminar at the Chicago Oriental Institute that was called to interpret the social relevance of the enactment of funerary rituals within the broad-reaching Mediterranean basin from prehistoric periods to the Roman age. The overarching themes are exercising authority and cultural and social transmission. Three papers also look at a theoretical approach to the archaeology of funerary rituals. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Picture perfect; landscape, place and travel in British cinema before 1930.
This volume, based on the work of archivists, academics, and researchers at the British Silent Cinema Festival in Nottingham, considers how landscape was portrayed in British cinema prior to 1930. Porter (coordinator of the festival, Broadway and Media Centre, Nottingham, UK) and Dixon, a curator at the BFI National Archive, bring together 13 articles that discuss Edwardian cinema and realism, urban and natural locations and film marketing, pictorialism, foreign locations, and public spaces, in several films such as the Rogues of London, A Day in the Hayfields, The Lure of Crooning Water, and Mist in the Valley. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Pottery and society; the impact of recent studies in Minoan pottery; gold medal colloquium in honor of Philip P. Betancourt; proceedings.
Five papers explore what pottery can reveal about society on the island of Crete during the Minoan period. Archaeologists discuss such topics as pottery making and social reproduction in the Bronze Age Mesara, traditions and trends in the production and consumption of storage containers in proto-palatial and neo-palatial Crete, and whether southeastern Anatolian pottery from Late Minoan Crete is evidence for direct contact between Arzawa and Keftiu. There is no index. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The Renaissance shipwrecks from Christianshavn; an archaeological and architectural study of large carvel vessels in Danish waters, 1580-1640.
This major study details the archaeological excavation of eight Renaissance boats discovered scuttled and buried at the Christianshavn harbor in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1996. The author, who was with the National Museum of Denmark's Centre for Maritime Archaeology in Roskilde at the time, worked closely with the excavation and ultimately wrote a PhD thesis on the boats, which is the basis for this text. The volume presents the history of the harbor; shipbuilding in Holland, England, Scotland, and Denmark in the 16th and 17th centuries (where the ships were built); and painstaking discussion of each ship, accompanied by superb drawings and copious photos. A glossary is provided which supplies translations of each term into Danish, French, Dutch, and German. A summary of the text is also provided in each of these languages. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The Renaissance villa in Britain 1500-1700.
Airs and Tyack (both U. of Oxford) examine Renaissance villas in the London area, the English provinces and Scotland through a series of thematic chapters and individual case studies. Along with famous examples such as Inigo Jones's Queen's House at Greenwich they and their contributors examine lesser-known structures such as the Countess of Arundel's Tart Hall, Kew palace (including some fascinating finds under the plaster) and Charleton House (as seen on TV). The illustrations, including floor plans and color plates are especially well done and inform rather than intrude. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
A researcher's guide to the Lachish collection in the British Museum.
In 1980, the British Museum acquired from the University of London a collection of over 17,000 objects and documents from the British excavation at Lachish, southwest of Jerusalem, during the 1930s. Magrill, curator of the collection, spent the 1990s sorting, researching, and cataloging the artifacts into the Museum's database. When she finished in 2000, she realized that she could now compile a handlist of the entire collection for the benefit of researchers. And so she has. She covers the cemeteries, the fosse temple and related contexts, the tell and fortifications, the sections, and surface and unprovenanced artifacts. A battery of indexes facilitates entry. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Riforma e tradizione, 1050-1198.
Wall painting and mosaics from the 11th and 12th centuries in the churches of Rome are discussed in this sumptuous and exhaustive survey, which is oversized (9.75x12.5 inches) and heavily illustrated with excellent color plates. The volume is in Italian. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The Ringlemere cup; precious cups and the beginning of the Channel Bronze age.
In early 2001, a metal-detectorist found an Early Bronze Age gold cup at Ringlemere Farm in east Kent. Soon archaeologists were scratching around the area to see if they could find some evidence of how it came to be there. To their surprise, they discovered a circular monument over 50 meters in diameter, originally a Late Neolithic henge, and then other monuments nearby. Here archaeologists describe the excavations and findings so far, the cup itself, and similar cups found throughout northwestern Europe. No index is provided. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Rome and the Black Sea region; domination, Romanisation, resistance.
In nine papers from an international conference held in Esbjerg, Denmark in January 2005, historians and archaeologists discuss interaction between imperial Romans and the indigenous population. Among their topics are Momnon of Herakleia on Rome and the Romans, the role and status of the indigenous population in Bithynia, and cultural contact and change. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Roman Butrint; an assessment.
Archaeologists offer a fresh look at the Greek port, on the Adriatic Sea opposite the island of Corfu and at the mouth of a large lagoon, during the Roman period. They consider artistic and historical evidence such as a dedication to Minerva Augusta and the monumental togate statue. They also report and interpret findings from a new round of excavations conducted 2000-2004 at Butrint and the Vrina Plain, among them the geo-archaeology, and proposals for the function and context of two Roman monuments. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Roman Droitwich; Dodderfill Fort, Bays Meadow Villa, and roadside settlement. (CD-ROM included)
As part of a series of reports on the results of excavations in Droutwich, in Worchestershire county, archaeologists focus on three cites important for their association with control of the area and potentially of the salt industry. The first is the Roman fort on Dodderhill, which overlooks the principal settlement focus; another is the Bays Meadow Roman villa, the best appointed in the whole county; and the last is a typical roadside settlement on Hanbury Street, where civilians processed food. The disk contains illustrations. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Romanitas; essays on Roman archaeology in honour of Sheppard Frere on the occasion of his ninetieth birthday.
Frere (archeology of the Roman empire emeritus, Oxford U.) has justly earned the appreciation of generations of colleagues and pupils, nine of whom offer very accessible and well-illustrated accounts here, including charming introductions that explain how they came to know and admire Frere as a mentor and friend. They cover the relationship between urban defenses and civic status in early Roman Britain, the evidence determining whether London was ever a colonia, the civic and military significance of contributions toward Hadrian's Wall, weapons and the garrison at Newstead, elements of military fortifications of Roman Britain, samian cups and their uses, the account of an anonymous traveler on the Antonine Wall in 1697, two centuries of conservation and archeology of Hadrian's Wall and later Roman African red slip ware from the frontier region in a province of Upper Egypt. Distributed by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Roman finds; context and theory; proceedings.
The contributing archaeologists are not concerned here with changing technologies or approaches to excavations, but with changes in the historical and cultural understanding of the Roman Empire and in the theoretical basis of interpreting finds. One goal is to promote their profession as a source of insight that can be used in related fields. The focus in on the western European provinces, especially Britain. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Roman mosaics of Britain; v.2: South-West Britain.
The second of an anticipated four volumes documenting the nearly 2000 Roman mosaics of Great Britain, this handsome, oversized volume (9.5x12.25 inches) contains the mosaics found in the counties of Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire. An initial section describes the history of the mosaics' discovery, their locations, dating, stylistic influences, and materials. The catalogue is organized by county, with either color photos or notably fine color or b&w drawings by the authors provided for each mosaic. A full descriptive essay accompanies the entry for each mosaic, with lengthy discussion of the mosaic's location, context within the building, and stylistic aspects. Each entry concludes with full list of references. A glossary is provided. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Roman provincial coinage; v.7.1: De Gordien Ier á Gordien III (238-244 aprés J.-C.). Part 1: Province d'Asie.
Several thousand bronze coins are documented from the Roman province of Asia in AD 238-244. Most were minted in the name of the emperor Gordian II (238-244) and his wife Tranquillina, but some for Gordian I and II, Pupienus, and Balbinus. They were minted by over 70 cities in the province, and are analyzed by die. The arrangement is by Roman conventus. The coins are from the same principal collections used throughout the series. Co-published by Bibliothéque nationale de France; the text is in French. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The royal palace, abbey and town of Westminster on Thorney Island; archaeological excavations (1991-1998) for the London Underground Limited Jubilee Line extension project.
Thomas, Robert Cowie, and Jane Sidell describe and discuss the excavations during the 1990s in advance of the subway extension, and integrate the findings with those of both archaeological and antiquarian efforts during the 18th, 19th, and 20th century to present a unified account of what science now thinks has been going on there since Mesolithic and Neolithic times. The juicy bits about the royal family are in a different volume, which is not cheap! Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
