Customer Reviews

The Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland, and Brittany

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

Aubrey Burl's previous works were showing a wee bit of dating. As carbon dating become more accurate, you are seeing these ancient rings grow older in age instead of younger as they anticipated. While Burl's previous works were amazing, this long awaited "update" of this information, as well as addition information on more recent excavations make this is must. Yes, it expensive. But it's worth every penny. There are new insight in the the purpose of the rings of stone, a new interpretation of Calanais (sorry, as a Scot I refuse to call it Callanish!) and Stonehenge

The beautiful book is loaded with hundreds of photos, explores the ancestry, methods of construction and why they were abandoned after thousands of years of use.

Marvelous work made even better by bringing the information up to date.

This very informative guidebook will bring to life your understanding of what otherwise might appear to be some big rocks in a field. I recently viewed a very important megalithic site, Stanton Drew, without this book. Even though I am somewhat well-read in this area, the site really was uninterpretable on its own. When I read the commentary in this book, my experience of the site changed and I was able to peer back through the millenia to see the site as the builders would have. This book is indispensible.

Just what it says on the box - an excellent reference, whether planning your trip or on the road. Complete with location maps and National Grid references.

I am not accustomed to purchasing so expensive and specialized a book, but in the early autumn of 1979, I had the privilege of working on a Scottish dig run by Dr. Burl, and I have long admired his scholarship and dedication---and this revision is, simply put, GREAT! The depth of information is astounding, and I found the the presentation engrossing, the subject fascinating, and the style quite readable---certainly NOT only for students or devotees of archaeology. I can't recommend this one highly enough---it may seem like something of an indulgence for your personal library, but it's worth every penny. Alas, the book is far to heavy to carry about in one's luggage, but I've already marked at least two dozen sites that I want to visit the next time I cross the Atlantic. In the meantime, settle back in a comfortable chair and get ready to cast your mind back a couple of millenia...

I picked up this book before a recent trip to the Midlands, and enjoyed it. It helped me find some out of the way sites, and informed me about them. It is entertaining, informative and useful. It's like hiring a friendly guide to lead you. Can't recommend it highly enough!