Stonehenge (Hardcover)

by John North (Author) "IN all of those ancient cultures from which written records survive, worship of the dead seems to have been bound up not only with religion,..." (more)
Key Phrases: grand trilithon, crosswise viewing, sarsen ring, Wayland's Smithy, West Kennet, Altar Stone (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
North (history and philosophy of science, Gronigen Univ., Netherlands; The Norton History of Astronomy and Cosmology, LJ 7/94) brings his distinguished background in astronomy to this study of Neolithic monuments. His aim is "to discover certain patterns of intellectual and religious behavior through a study of archaeological remains that seem to have been deliberately directed in some way towards phenomena in the heavens." Most of this book is a painstakingly detailed on-site investigation. Judging from the scale of Stonehenge and other monuments that incorporated astronomical alignments, North argues that the heavens played a central place in Neolithic and Bronze Age religion. While this major achievement belongs in all collections on Stonehenge, only the most tenacious general reader will persevere to the end.?Joan W. Gartland, Detroit P.L.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Mysterious Stonehenge has been a magnet for theorists of every stripe for centuries. This new interpretation, by a historian of science (Groningen Univ., the Netherlands), argues that it was both an astronomical observatory and a map of the heavens. Actually, North's net is spread much wider than the title suggests. He begins with a discussion of the structure and orientation of long barrows (or mounds) and ends up examining almost every class of prehistoric megalithic monument on the British Isles as well as some in Western Europe. North has little patience with the idea that the megalith-builders were crude workmen, citing some of the better-preserved monuments that have precise alignments of various points with certain fixed stars. He finds a historical progression from the early long barrows to the later stone avenues and rows, with henges (circular enclosures first made of wood, then stone) the culmination of the tradition. Stonehenge itself evolved over some 2,000 years, and North provides a complete inventory of its components and reconstructs the various stages of its growth. The sight lines through the stone rings are carefully diagrammed, and various astronomical relationships spelled out. Finally, the author brings together his various themes in a discussion of the astronomically based rituals and beliefs he feels we can deduce from the evidence he has compiled. The wealth of detail here, combined with copious diagrams and calculations, is likely to overwhelm the reader who is not familiar (at least through other books) with the monuments under consideration. And while North pays due homage to folklore and other colorful accretions to the subject, his highly technical approach makes this a book many casual antiquarians are more likely to skim than read. An important contribution to the literature of this fascinating subject, then, but more for the specialist than for the common reader. (212 line drawings, 29 photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 656 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1st Printing edition (October 9, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684845121
• ISBN-13: 978-0684845128
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #318,328 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A definitive look at Stonehenge, December 3, 1999

By A Customer

This is not the easiest book to read. John North is so painstakingly detailed that I occasionally had to set the book aside and let my mind rest a while. Once I finally was able to get all the way through, however, I was very glad I had made the effort. North has given us a definitive look at Stonehenge.

North starts with a fairly simple premise: In order to truly understand Stonehenge one should first study the many other comparable structures built in Britan and Europe during prehistoric times. North slowly works his way through these structures before finally arriving at the ultimate destination: Stonehenge.

The conclusions he finally reaches about Stonehenge are at once startling and fascinating. For instance, he shows that observations were not done from within the Stonehenge circle, but from a point many meters outside the circle.

I could go on, but suffice it to say that if you have ever been curious about Stonehenge, North's book is a must read.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Labyrinth of Data, January 7, 2004

By	Mr Michael E Farman (Palestine, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stonehenge (Paperback)

Although John North is to be congratulated on his diligence and tenacity in researching and producing this book, I have to say that it is heavy going and his infinitely detailed measurements and conclusions are so mutually entangled that it's very hard to form a clear picture of his conclusions and hence determine whether his science is really as soundly based as he claims. Part of his trouble is the very wide scope of the book. There is material for several substantial books crowded into this one and I feel sometimes the wood gets lost for the trees. Moreover the many drawings of alignments scattered through the pages are frequently lacking in clear notation. This is a pity, because I would like to believe most of the conclusions that I understand. His argument for rising star alignments on many monuments appears to stretch credibility; what about the obscuration of stars by atmospheric density close to the horizon? And for the Uffington White Horse, which I've visited many times and know well, he claims an alignment along a modern road, citing that it may well have followed an earlier track? Proof?
But it is a serious attempt to understand the minds of early architects and their society's relationship to the heavens, and as such is a very welcome addition to the growing archaeo-astronomy corpus.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, The Truth, July 4, 2000

By	Linda K. Rossmaier (Hermitage, TN United States) - See all my reviews

Mr. North exceeds my expectations in his book on the inhabitants of this magnificent area. Although it was at times tedious and heavy in the astronomical sense, I am an amateur astronomy buff so his interpretations were not totally lost to me. The most amazing breakthrough noted by Mr. North is our arrogance as a literal society to assume their intelligence as minimal due to the lack of a written legacy by these brilliant and sensitive people. Additionally, he subtley proposes that we should not judge the Stonehenge people as one because of a few isolated finds of deviant tribal rituals. The cosmological affect on the beliefs and practices of this era is well documented in Mr. North's book. Aristotle would have understood their aptitude given the tools and skills of the time. Nature is the most perfect teacher and the most accurate. Bravo Mr. North