I rank books according to how good I think they are; which is rated in heads
Pendragon's Banner
Shadow of the King
Enemy of God
Excalibur
An archaeological investigation
| The Kingmaking Pendragon's Banner Shadow of the King |
Helen Hollick Publisher: Heinemann (Shadow of the King Publisher: Arrow) |
| These 3 novels, form a Trilogy which, IMHO, are the best Arthur
novels currently available. All the romance and heroism without straying into
knights of the round table territory Dave Allen |
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| Winter King Enemy of God Excalibur |
Bernard Cornwell Publisher: Micheal Joseph |
| The writer that brought us Sharpe ("What makes a good
soldier is the ability to fire 3 rounds a minute in all weathers !") deals
sympathetically with the Arthur myth. Well written, atmospheric and quite
moving in places. Spot the sad cases that choose 'Defel Cadarn' as their authentic name ! John Nash |
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| Women in Roman Britain | Lindsay Allason-Jones Publisher: British Museum Press |
| Good solid stuff with plenty of pictures.
Amazon will knock you out a
copy for less than a tenner. Madoc |
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| Vindolanda. Research Reports new series |
Various Authors Publisher: Vindolanda Trust |
| Probably our greatest find this year. Well produced and highly
informative site reports of the vast numbers of finds from Vindolanda. Comes in
various books. The ones on 'tools' and 'leather and textiles' are particularly
good and very cheap too. Go and buy them now !! madoc |
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| The Christian Celts | Mark Redknap Publisher:National Museum of Wales |
| Good Overview of post Roman/Dark Age Wales using lots of
pictures of Welsh finds and early christian monuments Madoc |
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| The Archaeology of Roman Britain | RG Collingwood Publisher: Bracken Books |
| Interesting stuff on buildings, but really useful chapters on
pottery and the evolution of brooches. Madoc |
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| Roman Military Equipment | Bishop and Coulson Shire Archaeology |
| One of those little A5 books that you frequently see in
National Trust shops or in racks in the bigger bookshops. Only 76 pages long, it covers the entire Roman period from BC to 5thAD century by century. Useful line drawings and Spartan text tell you all you need to know. Not an authoritative work by any means but a complete overview at a very reasonable price. I am not sure whether it is still in print. Madoc |
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| Handbook of British Archaeology | Lesley and Roy Adkins Constable - London |
| Another useful book that covers everything from Neolithic to
medieval. Each period gets a section (bronze age, Iron age, Roman Age etc.) and
then sub sections covering such things as pottery, housing, bone, weapons,
leather for example. The final sections cover methods of archaeology and all manner of ancient techniques from farming to lathes. Useful all round book for the price. Madoc |
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| End of the Western Roman Empire An archaeological investigation |
Ellen Swift Tempus |
| Tempus seem to be putting out alot of good books on the Roman
period recently. I bought this one as a brief look in the shop showed it to
have a picture of a crossbow brooch with a screw thread !! Very, very interesting theories on the distribution and meaning of grave goods (esp. jewelry) which is almost essential reading for anyone with an interest. Madoc |
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| Archaeology of Weapons | R. Ewart Oakeshott Dover |
| Shop around for the cheaper soft cover of this book. I got mine
from the Internet Bookshop for less than a tenner. Covers weapons and armour from prehistory to the 15th century. No colour plates but just enough drawings to break up the text. Good readable text with a tendency to wander off at a tangent for pages. Tantalises you with Vimose/Nydam and then only deals with a fraction of it. Another book that covers too much ground to be really useful. Madoc |
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| Roman Clothing and Fashion | A.T. Croom Tempus |
| We bought this as we needed to make a ton of early roman kit in
a couple of weeks and wanted some variation. Good clear text with lots of good line drawings and pictures of sculptures, mosaics and wall paintings. However, it stops short of being the be-all-and-end-all for re-enactors as she doesn't get into the detail and I have feeling that she doesn't really know (and is unwilling to guess in most cases). Don't miss the pictures of Phil Clark from the Ravens inside ..... Just misses the magical 5 heads Madoc |
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| The Later Roman Empire | Richard Reece Tempus |
| I wanted to like it and it certainly looked useful at first
glance. He breaks it up into chapters like 'churches' and 'Coins and the economy' and then fails to tell you anything useful, which is understandable as each is a massive subject area in it's own right. Bit of a disappointment really. Adds nothing new to the period Madoc |
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Greece and Rome at War |
Peter Connelly |
| In some parts of the country this is regarded as essential
reading. Big reassuring hardback with good images and exceptional text on everything you wanted to know about Greek and Roman warfare. Derivitive in places but who cares ! Excellent chapter on Hannibal Madoc |
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Early Celtic Designs (British Museum Pattern Books) |
Ian Stead Karen Hughes |
| Worth Every penny. Essentially the authors have reproduced designs from all manner of objects from across Europe from the 6thBC to 1stAD These is an invaluable resource for anyone decorating a shield or any other period object. With this book and a little imagination and practice it is possible to create your own original patterns that fit within the same styles shown Click here to order on Amazon Madoc |
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Celtic Art |
I. M, Stead British Museum |
| Good little book that forms a really good introduction to the
celtic art of the period in Britian. Not only reproduces the art but also shows
it on the objects concerned, which helps alot if you are going for a
reconstructions is looking for inspiration. The original 1985 edition (which I have) has been updated and you can get it on Amazon TheMadoc |
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Iron Age Cemeteries in East Yorkshire. |
Dr Ian Stead, British Museum Press 1991 (way out of print) |
| I know it's virtually unobtainable BUT keep looking as you
never know. The kirkburn mailshirt, the kirkburn sword plus chariot burials, brooches and loads of short swords, knives and other artifacts. You will never regret buying this book. Ever Madoc |
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Eagle in the snow |
Author: Wallace Breem Publisher: BCA |
| The book that Gladiator was apparently based on. I say
apparently because this is superior in every respect, a cracking story with a
gritty sense of realism and no gladiatorial combat at all. Then just to finish
off a lovely little reference section listing the Historical characters that
appear in the novel, a brief time line, list of place names with their modern
counterparts and a glossary of terms and tribal peoples. James |
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| Slaine- Warrior Beyond Time | Author: Pat Mills Publisher: Hamlyn collected graphic novel version (also 2000AD progs 852-859 and 889-896 then 1001-1010 and 1024-1031) |
| Move out Derfel Cadarn, Slaine is with out a doubt the
greatest modern celtic hero. In this series of three linked adventures Slaine
is transported through time to help Bouddica he is then sent to rescue the
treasures of Britain. This is a series that's artwork is never less than
amazing and has rock solid story telling at heart. All hail Slaine, though that said any Britons turning up next year with a two handed axe called brain biter should be laughed at and prodded cruelly. James |
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| The Roman army from Caesar to Trajan MAA 46 | Author: Michael Simkins Publisher: Osprey |
| Should perhaps be re-titled my first proper book of Romans.
This title benefits from all the established Men at Arms format with plentiful
clear and relevant illustrations, photos of reconstructed arms and armour and
the central colour section in this case the art work was supplied by the highly
talented late Ron Embleton. The text is clear accessible and to the point. The
only criticism that I can think of is that 40 pages 8 of which are full page
illustrations is not enough to do more than introduce the subject properly. But
still a truly essential introduction. James |
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| Rome's Enemies 2: Gallic and British Celts MAA 158 | Author: Peter Wilcox Publisher: Osprey |
| Yet another quality introduction to the subject in hand. Some
very nice photos of finds from across France and Britain, good clear text and
best of all featuring the priceless art of Angus McBride. It does suffer from
being a little out of date with some recent Archaeological re-interpretations
and new finds but the text will get you started and the artwork will fire the
imagination. James |
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| Roman Warfare | Author: Adrian Goldsworthy Publisher: Cassell |
| This is a little gem of a book it isn't overly illustrated, it
is however very very well written it covers pretty much the whole range of the
Roman army from the earliest Hoplite pre republican army through to the Army of
the eastern empire following the collapse of the west. The scope is vast and
means that there are very few details and a lot of generalisation but its still
a good read and a good overview of the Army. James |
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| The Celts | Author: Frank Delaney Publisher: Harper Collins |
| If I had been writing this review 15 years ago this book would
be top of my list of must haves must reads as it is time has moved on quite
considerably (nearly 20 years now) and in that time our understanding of the
native pre Roman people of the British isles has advanced. So read it, it is a
lovely piece of prose and when you have finished enjoying it find a copy of
"The Iron age in Britain and Ireland: recent trends" and get up to
date but without the gentle writing style. James (I remember the television series as Enya wrote the music - Madoc) |
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but only because it's a touch old now. |
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| Celtic coinage in Britain | Author: Philip de Jersey Publisher: Shire |
| This is an odd but fascinating little book, it is broken down
in to Chapters starting with a brief look at the roles of coinage in society,
then moving on to consider manufacturing techniques, after considering various
aspects concerning the introduction of coinage to Britain the bulk of the book
is divided by region and the coinage finds of each region are discussed. The
subject its self is absorbing in its own right but the large number of photos
of the coins could provide endless inspiration for decorative devices on kit,
shields ect. Not only that but regionally accurate as well! All in all a
splendid yet unassuming little book on this subject I don't think you could ask
for more or will find better. James |
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| Rome and her Enemies | Author: editor Jane Penrose Publisher: |
| A £20 hardback from Osprey, it's a book made from various
Osprey titles (over 20) covering from 753 BC to AD 500. Lots of colour photos, artwork and maps, it's well worth having if you don't already have the titles. Most of the artwork from Osprey's Roman Legionary 58 BC to AD 69 is in there (the cover art is not). Check the list of titles inside before you buy it. Neil |
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| Iron Age Britain | Author: Barry Cunliffe Publisher: Batsford |
| This book Covers in quite a bit of detail The people, The
land, The emergence of tribal identities, warfare and Religion. Professor
Cunliffe was the head of the Danbury hill fort excavations so it isn't very
surprising that there is a lot of references to Danbury finds but this book
goes beyond just that and presents very good background knowledge that we all
should know. So if you need to ground your self in the basics of how the native
world of the 1st C worked and only have the patience to read one book this
would be a good choice. It came close to a perfect 5 but isn't quite
indispensable or of directly applicable enough for a re enactor. James |
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| The Complete Roman Army | Author: Adrian Goldsworthy Publisher: |
| Another one to buy if you have £30 spare, comprehensive and
detailed. Lots of colour and black and white photos, colour artwork and line
drawings. Pictures of reenactors (Ermine Street Guard) are always of dubious benefit as it's someones idea of a Roman rather than an original source (but so is artwork) and they add a nice touch of colour. Some of the line drawings of soldiers are a bit so-so (talented amateur rather than professional artist). There's maps of battles, photos of sculptures and a wealth of good information. It's dear, but worth it. Neil |
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| Roman Military Equipment | Author: Bishop and Coulston. Publisher: |
| A£20 softback, this is aimed more at the professional
historian. Lots of line drawings (rather than photos, although there are some)
with a scale. If you want to see the variation in dolabra designs in the period
from Augustus to Hadrian, they are on page 118. There are no drawings of
legionaries like you'd find in Osprey titles, just accurate artwork showing
artifacts, so it's a good primary source. It's the sort of book the Osprey
artist consults before drawing a scabbard. It's informative, well written but
not the sort of book you'd buy first, but if you are going to be really
authentic, it's a goldmine. Neil |
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| The Celts (Exploring the world of-) | Author: Simon James Publisher: Thames & Hudson |
| £12.95 in softback, 192 pages published by Thames & Hudson. The book is laid out in a magazine style; lots of artwork and photos on each page, it invites you to open it and read anywhere rather than start at the front and read it through (although you can). It's full of details, the author is Senior Lecturer in archaeology at Leicester University. The book covers the Celts from about 500 BC, through the Roman period and to their modern representatives. If you are portraying a Celt (or auxiliary), this is an excellent book to buy. It's comprehensive, detailed and worth every penny. Neil Lucock |
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| The Roman War Machine | Author: John Peddie Publisher: |
| An absolutely amazing book written by a man who served in
Burma. He gives lots of comparisons with modern practice where things have not
changed. So he tells us that you can graze 20 Roman pack horses to an acre and
from that you can work out how many acres of land Caesar's cavalry needs to
graze their cavalry. It's full of practical understanding and simple
mathematics. An army of 30,000 legionaries, 3,500 auxiliaries, 400 cavalry, plus
reserve animals, baggage animals and servants needs 79 tons of grain a day. Load
this lot on to carts and you've got a very long (yes, you can work out the
length) and vulnerable baggage train that you can't afford to lose. If you want
a detailed book about the practicalities and logistics of running a legion,
spend £8.99 on this. Neil Lucock |
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| When The Eagle Hunts, The Eagle's Prey and various other "Eagle" titles | Author: Simon Scarrow. Publisher: |
| Set before and during the Roman invasion of Britain,
entertaining paperbacks with a centurion and his optio as the central
characters. Good stories based on fact (the bit about Claudius and his elephant
at Camelodumum is excellent). Not always 100% accurate on odd details (Roman
soldiers did not have a mess for food and he has lorica segmentata appearing the
year after the invasion) but this does not spoil the effect. It's nice to meet
Vespasian and the young Boudicca in his stories. Exciting and entertaining,
typically £6.99 in Borders, well worth it for decent fiction. Neil Lucock |
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| Roman Britain, A New History Hardback, 288 pages £24.95 |
Author: .Guy de la Bedoyere Publisher: ISBN-13: 978 0 500 05140 5 |
| A familiar face to Time Team viewers, Guy's book covers everything you need to know about the whole of the occupation period. It's full of pictures, line drawings and illustrations, photos of major sites and artefacts. It's a good book to buy if you want to know more about what happened during the time the Romans were here, There's a historical overview and then chapters with details on slavery, coins, religion and other subjects. It's the kind of book you can open at random and find something interesting. It's a really good reference book, but a bit expensive Neil |
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