Customer Reviews

Stonehenge Complete, Third Edition

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

 

 

A solid treatment of the written history regarding Stonehenge. The author likes to chuckle at all the theories he believes are incorrect about the origins of the site. However the author spends more time pointing out how everyone else is incorrect rather than providing summaries of any new likely theories as to it's origin and function. For me I was disappointed by this ommission and feel it is unfair to bash others opinions without presenting in equal detail your own.

A good book, but Christopher Chippindale failed to mention the first stones brought to Stonehenge in the Late Neolithic Period from the South Wales Coalfield area. Stonehenge's first hauled stones, of course, are the white Early Carboniferous (Mississippian) Period, Arundian Age, High Tor (Birnbeck) Limestone Formation calcium carbonates of its original counterscarp bank (3/4's later moved to Heelstone ditch and Stonehenge's nearest barrow 100 metres east-southeast of Heelstone). These first transported stones overlay Stonehenge's geologic outcrop of white Late Cretaceous Period, Santonian Age, Seaford Chalk Formation calcium carbonates. Other than Christopher Chippindale not mentioning these Stonehenge Whitestones, as they are commonly referred to by BGS (British Geological Survey) geologists, the book "Stonehenge Complete" is a good read.

If you're looking for a good overview of the History of Stonehenge, this is it. This book covers the 800 years of known writing of Stonehenge to convey a good idea of the history of the monument.

The book was originally published in 1983, and still contains some of the historical viewpoints of Britain in that era, but on the whole is fair and well done. There is some removal of the Astronomical material from first edition, and it instead points toward other sources more involved with that one aspect. Likewise, the archeological data is only what is appropriate for this view of Stonehenge and its surrounding monuments.

If you only have one book on Stonehenge, this should be it, and if you plan on visiting the monument, pick it up first and at least browse through. You will understand the monument so much better, and really appreciate it.

I've read a good bit about Stonehenge over the years. I've seen it once once on a personal trip to England. So far this is the book to buy! Available from Amazon.com.


Chippendale kindly leaves out most of the accumulated hype and hyperbole about the monument and lets the


thing speak for itself. Beautifully illustrated. Mercifully free of scientific jargon.

Book was very thorough, well planned, and easy to follow. Alot of information.