PRESS RELEASE: ‘The Old Stones: a field guide to the megalithic sites of Britain and Ireland’ wins Current Archaeology’s prestigious Book of the Year award for 2019

1 min read
Andy Burnham, winner of the Current Archaeology Book of the Year 2019 award
Andy Burnham collects the award for Book of the Year 2019 at the Current Archaeology Awards. (Photo: Adam Stanford/Aerial-Cam)

Winner of the award for Book of the Year 2019 was The Old Stones: a field guide to the megalithic sites of Britain and Ireland, by Andy Burnham and published by Watkins Publishing. This 400+ page field guide of over 1,000 sites does everything it promises and is another dedicated testament to the might of the ‘amateur’. It is not an academic book for archaeologists, with excavation details and cited references (it would be even heavier than it is, if it were), but one for the be-wellied, mobile petrophile – it is an excellent resource for amateur archaeologists on their hunt for the best monuments across Britain and Ireland.

The prize forms part of the celebrated Current Archaeology Awards given each year by Current Archaeology, the UK’s leading archaeology magazine. Archaeologist and educator Julian Richards announced the winners of the 2019 awards on 8 March, during the annual Current Archaeology Live! conference, held at the University of London’s Senate House.

Accepting the award, Andy Burnham said:
“I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has helped with the book, it was very much a joint effort – thanks too to everyone who has contributed to the Megalithic Portal website. Thanks too to the voters for believing in amateurs and for recognising what has been a giant community project.”

For a full list of the 2019 nominees, visit www.archaeology.co.uk/awards


Notes for Editors: Current Archaeology Awards

  • Voted for by subscribers and members of the public, the awards recognise the outstanding contributions to our understanding of the past made by people, projects, and publications featured in the pages of Current Archaeology.
  • The 2019 Current Archaeology Award for Book of the Year is sponsored by Andante Travels.
  • Current Archaeology was launched in 1967 and will publish its 350th issue next month.
  • The Old Stones: a field guide to the megalithic sites of Britain and Ireland was reviewed in Current Archaeology 345.
  • This year’s conference was attended by over 400 people.
  • Award categories include: Archaeologist of the Year, Book of the Year, Research Project of the Year and Rescue Project of the Year.
  • For more info about CA Live!, visit: www.archaeology.co.uk/live

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.