A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany [Paperback]

Dr. Aubrey Burl (Author)

Book Description

Series: Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany | Publication Date: April 26, 1995

From Stonehenge to Callanish, from Newgrange to Er-Lannic, great prehistoric stone circles have drawn thousands of admiring visitors to their sites every year. This practical guidebook deals comprehensively with the stone circles of Britain and Ireland and with the cromlechs and megalithic "horseshoes" of Brittany. The book describes over 400 sites and discusses the archaeology and architectural features of each ring. Burl tells the reader how to find a specific site and what to look for, considers problems of dating the remains, points out interrelationships between widely separated sites, explains place-names, and provides stories about legends, witchcraft, and funerals associated with the rings. He also gives suggestions for practical work on site, telling how to deduce the source of the stones, estimate their weight, calculate the number of people involved in the construction of a ring, and investigate the possibility of alignments to the sun and moon. Featuring information, useful maps, and 70 photographs, this is a resource for those interested in the mysteries of the ancient sanctuaries known as stone circles.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An informed, informative, and well-balanced survey of the facts, fictions, and problems of our stone circles." Glyn Daniel, The Guardian "Burl's authoritative book is indispensable for anyone pursuing this tantalising enigma." Publishers' Weekly "A magnificent book thorough, lucid, scholarly, and at times poetic...A landmark book." Alan J. Friedman, San Francisco Review of Books "An admirable balance of scholarship and literary skill." New Yorker --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Aubrey Burl was formerly principal lecturer in archaeology, Hull College of Higher Education, East Riding of Yorkshire. He is the author of many books, including Great Stone Circles: Fables, Fictions, Facts (ISBN 0 300 07689 4, #19.95); From Carnac to Callanish: The Prehistoric Stone Rows and Avenues of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany (ISBN 0 300 05575 7, #29.95); and Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany (ISBN 0 300 06331 8, #9.95); all published by Yale University Press. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (April 26, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300063318
• ISBN-13: 978-0300063318
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,303,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Travel > Europe > France > Brittany

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This guide was our companion when roaming Dartmoor last June, October 29, 1999

By 

susan jennings (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany (Paperback)

My husband and I are very interested in ancient cultures and especially stone circles; this book told us where they were, what to expect to see, and how to get there (which wasn't always very easy!) We were able to pick an area of England with a heavy concentration of good quality circles based on his descriptions and pictures, and with book in hand, see many of the ones we chose. Mr. Burl is kind enough to mention when the going is tough, and he was always right. The only thing that could make this book any more invaluable as a field guide would be inclusion of Surveyor's Maps of the areas...but those can be purchased easily in the countries in question. (Color photos would've been nice, too!) Highly recommended for real trip-planning, or just for inspiration!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential resource, July 7, 2001

By 

"bhoberg" (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany (Paperback)

I recently returned from a vacation over in Ireland/Scotland/Wales where for 4 weeks I and 2 of my friends researched and visited stone circles throughout the Isles. Aubrey Burl definitely has written an essential resource you should pick up if you have the intentions of going to see them. He touches on a great number of "out of the way" stone circles not widely known in areas and gives precise directions on how to get to them. It is almost like a treasure hunt, you never knwo what is around the corner in Aubrey's book! A definite must get for the stone circle enthusiast. Don't even think about putting this book down. Get a map, get this book, and go hunting for these great spiritual centers.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb guide to the stones of Great Britain and Brittany., June 2, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany (Paperback)

Burl, an expert on the subject of stone circles, has created an essential and portable guide to all of the major sites in Great Britain and Brittany. The sites listed in the book are numbered and keyed to useful maps which offers visitors to a given area the opportunity to avoid missing anything of interest. Each site has a thorough description which often includes interpretations, a "condition code", and practical instructions as to how to find it. Also included is a good index and bibliography, and, for most sites, reference to published literature. This is not a book of photographs or site maps, although there are quite a few of each, especially for the better sites. Rather, this is an exceptional and really practical little guidebook, one anyone headed for the field will certainly want to carry along.