Geological form and process fundamentally underpin archaeology, but many archaeologists only have a patchy understanding of it – or even a fear of the sedimentary unknown. John Allen’s book is therefore hugely welcome, and it fills a long-neglected gap.

This is an aural companion piece to Marshall’s lyrical photographic vision of the Neolithic landscape of ‘Greater Avebury’, as seen in his Exploring Avebury: The Essential Guide (see CA 322), Like that book, this is the work of an assured artist.

This collection of 15 chapters – by many of Britain’s most involved, non-flint lithic workers – is refreshingly eclectic. Once past the five, almost obligatory, polished stone-axe chapters, including a very useful contemporary overview of Cornubian greenstone axes, there are four on querns.

This book collects 18 papers that were inspired by the themes and discussions of the ‘Engaging the public with archaeology threatened by climate change’ session at the 2015 European Association of Archaeology conference. A timely and challenging volume, its impressively international collection of authors highlights the complexity of defining not only climate change’s effect on archaeology, but also the very notions of ‘heritage’ and ‘public archaeology’, as well as how the three intersect.

Despite a history of study stretching back to the early 19th century, the hillforts of Cheshire have figured little in discussions of the British Iron Age. This new volume details the results of the Habitats and Hillforts Landscape Partnership Project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Although centred on landscape management, this project enabled new archaeological fieldwork to be conducted on six hillforts situated along Cheshire’s Sandstone Ridge.

Peter Wade-Martins’ account of his life in archaeology is as rich as any of the sites with which he has been involved. Beginning at a time when there was scant legal protection for Britain’s heritage, and ending with the realities of developer-led archaeology and a post-Brexit future, Wade-Martins’ story is also the story of archaeological practice in the modern era.

Celebrating the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Oxfordshire since the Scheme’s inception, Anni Byard has chosen 50 objects from over 30,000 recorded over the last 13 years.

Excavations in the modern borough since 1966 by the Enfield Archaeological Society have revealed traces of a roadside settlement that might have been the first stopping point for travellers heading north from Londinium along Ermine Street.

Apart from the extraordinary finds, the book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the inland fishing industry, and its place in the medieval economy. Given that fish bones are so rarely recovered, this is especially important.

Nick Holder’s important study of the London friaries gives the reader a veritable guided tour of the nine houses in the city: the three sites of the Black Friars as well as the Grey, White, Austin, Crutched, Sack, and Pied Friars.