The Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany [Hardcover]

Aubrey Burl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000

The spectacular stone circles of western Europe, some nearly 6000 years old, have intrigued viewers through the ages. This beautiful book about these megalithic rings explores their ancestry, methods of construction, and eventual desertion. A substantially revised version of Aubrey Burl's highly praised book The Stone Circles of the British Isles, it offers new insights into the purpose of stone circles. It also provides a new interpretation of Stonehenge and of Callanish in Scotland, the first overview of the cromlechs in Brittany, a discussion of the problems of archaeo-astronomy as related to stone circles, and includes a greatly expanded Gazetteer, and an up-to-date list of radiocarbon dates and recent excavations.

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

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.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 478 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1st edition (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300083475
• ISBN-13: 978-0300083477
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,809,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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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.