Book of the Year 2018

2 mins read

Winner of the award for Book of the Year was Mark White for Lost Landscapes of Palaeolithic Britain (published by Oxford Archaeology).

Mark White, winner of Book of the Year 2018, holds with his award, along side colleagues and the award presenter Julian Richards [Photo Credit: Current Archaeology]
Mark White, winner of Book of the Year 2018, holds his award, alongside colleagues and the award presenter Julian Richards [Photo Credit: Current Archaeology]
Winner of the award for Book of the Year 2018 was Lost Landscapes of Palaeolithic Britain, edited by Mark White and published by Oxford Archaeology. This book explores the palaeo-landscapes of southern Britain, focusing on both archaeological and environmental data from the period in order to provide a much-needed perspective on the dynamics between different climates in the region, while also clearly explaining the science behind the results.

Sponsor of the 2018 Book of the Year award.

The prize forms part of the celebrated Current Archaeology Awards, which are given each year by Current Archaeology, the UK’s leading archaeology magazine. TV personality and archaeologist Julian Richards announced the winners of the 2018 awards on 23 February, during the Current Archaeology Live! annual conference, held at the University of London’s Senate House.

Accepting the award, Mark White said:

“I am very surprised – no one votes for the Palaeolithic! Thank you very much.”

Below are all the nominees in this category:


St Paul’s Cathedral: archaeology and history

John Schofield
Published by Oxbow Books
(CA 322)

Following on from his renowned book, St Paul’s Cathedral before Wren, covering the early history of the cathedral, this book offers the same comprehensive review of St Paul’s history from it’s reconstruction by Wren in 1675 to present day.

Read the full review here.


The Oxford Handbook of Roman Britain

Martin Millett, Louise Revell, and Alison Moore (eds.)
Published by Oxford University Press
(CA 323)

Compiling both the archaeological and historical record, this book provides an all-inclusive account of life in Roman Britain, including topics rarely covered previously such as medicine, metalworking, animal husbandry, and horticulture.

Read the full review here.


The Birth of Industrial Glasgow: the archaeology of the M74

Michael Nevell
Published by Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
(CA 324)

Construction on the M74, in southern Glasgow, revealed new evidence about the city’s manufacturing past – a world centre for industry between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. This book brings together the archaeological and
historical findings to present a new
perspective on the period.

Read the full review here.


Lost Landscapes of Palaeolithic Britain

Mark White (ed.)
Published by Oxford Archaeology
(CA 324)

Exploring the palaeolandscapes of southern Britain, this book focuses on both the archaeological and environmental data from the period in order to provide a much-needed perspective on the dynamics between different climates in the region, while also clearly explaining the science behind the results.

Read the full review here.


Viking Dublin: the Wood Quay excavations

Pat Wallace
Published by Irish Academic Press
(CA 328)

This book – highlighted in the CA 328 feature, Wood Quay: revealing the heart of Viking Dublin – publishes for the first time the full results of the impressive excavations of impeccably preserved Viking-era Dublin during the 1970s and early 1980s, potentially completing transforming our understanding of Viking towns.

Read an excerpt of the feature here


A Celtic Feast: the Iron Age cauldrons from Chiseldon, Wiltshire

Alexandra Baldwin and Jody Joy
Published by the British Museum Press
(CA 329)

An astonishing 17 complete Iron Age cauldrons were discovered in Chiseldon, Wiltshire in 2004. This book assiduously documents the extensive post-excavation analysis, which included CT scans, metallurgy testing, and residue analysis to
assess the contents and associated organic
material.

Read the full review here.


Offa’s Dyke: landscape and hegemony in 8th-century Britain

Keith Ray and Ian Bapty
Published by Windgather Press
(CA 329)

Keith Ray and Ian Bapty provide a detailed and comprehensive history of the 240km earthwork of Offa’s Dyke, placing it in within its historical and environmental landscape and clearly presenting the debate over when it was built and by whom.

Read the full review here.


Hadrian’s Wall: archaeology and history at the limit of Rome’s Empire

Nick Hodgson
Published by Robert Hale
(CA 333)

This publication offers a fresh look on the archaeology and history of Hadrian’s Wall. Hodgson laudably sketches out the debates over its purpose – defence versus
control – and sets it within its wider political,
historical, and environmental context.

Read the full review here.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.