Bookshelf
Interpreting Pottery
by Anne Anderson
216 x 138mm, limp-bound, £8.95 post free from K.A.S.
Bookstall.
Of all the evidence that is dug up from archaeological sites, pottery is - numerically, at least - the most important. The reason is that clay has always been plentiful and since Neolithic times all kinds of pots have been made for everyday use - for cooking, eating and storage. When fired, clay is extremely hard and durable.
As a result, in the form of small broken pieces, pottery is virtually indestructible. But what exactly does it tell us about the past? This is the central question that Anne Anderson answers in her lucid and wide-ranging study, which draws examples from the prehistoric and Roman periods of Britain and the continent. We learn how pottery helps us to date archaeological sites and tells us a great deal about how people lived in prehistoric and early historic times. Illustrating the principal forms for each period - from bowls and dishes to flagons and mortaria - the author then shows how typology and seriation can be used to establish a relative date and she also explains ways in which an absolute date can be assigned. Once pottery has been dated and its origin and distribution established by means of the latest scientific methods, we can appreciate its role within the overall socio-economic framework. We learn a great deal, not only about how people lived at home but also about the way in which industry and trade were conducted in early societies.
In this original study Anne Anderson, who is a research assistant at the University of Leicester, contributes her own ideas and work as well as synthesizing the recent work of many other archaeologists. Clearly illustrated and full of specific examples, this is an ideal guide for any student archaeologist (at whatever level) or any enthusiastic amateur.
The Pottery Kilns of Roman Britain
by Vivien G.Swan
This long-awaited publication by the author of the popular Shire book on Roman Pottery is an exhaustive summary of evidence for Roman kilns in Britain. It contains sections on the construction and technology of kilns with diagrams of principal types. Major production centers are discussed along with the development of kiln structures. A county-by-county gazetteer (by necessity confined to microfiche) provides a comprehensive and accessible listing of all suspected and proven kiln sites in the country. There are some 36 pages covering Kent which provide an invaluable resource for local pottery research. The book represents good value for money and is 192 pages plus a 528-page gazetteer on microfiche.
Published by H.M.S.O. priced £13.50, it may with advantage be obtained post free from the K.A.S.Bookstall, see enclosed form.
Jason Monaghan.
Kentish Visitations of Archbishop William Warham and his Deputies, 1511-12
Edited by K.L.Wood-Legh
The volume consists of visitations in the Diocese of Canterbury, by Archbishop William Warham and his deputies, 1511-12, of the religious houses and parishes subject to his jurisdiction; it contains a unique series of reports of the original inquiries, disclosures to the visitor and consequential injunctions, together with proceedings taken in the consistory court some months later, arising out of charges brought against patrons of parish churches, incumbents and parishioners. The visitations throw new light on the state of the Church and the Kentish society to which it ministered. There is no equally elaborate record on this scale. 216 x 138 mm Pp.xxvii + 343, with a frontispiece, cased with dust jacket. Volume 24 of the K.A.S. Records series. Price: £20 (plus £2pp), but to K.A.S. Members £12 (plus £1.50pp)
New Maidstone Gaol Order Book, 1805-1823
Edited by C.W. Chalklin 216 X 138mm, pp. vi + 186, cased with dust jacket.
Volume 23 of the K.A.S. Records Series. Price: £10 (plus £2 p & p), but to K.A.S. Members £5 (plus £1.50).
The building of the Kent county gaol at Maidstone between 1801 and 1891 was the most ambitious county prison building undertaking in England before the late 1820s. Its cost was about £200,000.
This book contains the text of The New Gaol Order Book, chiefly in calendar form, which comprises extracts from Sessions orders relating to the building of a new gaol, together with architects' reports, order for payment, and committee reports, 1805-1823.
The introduction and Appendices give much interesting background information regarding the building of the gaol and also the not inconsiderable opposition to it.
All the above books, as well as many others on the Bookstall, are available by post from Ted Connell.
All the above books, as well as many others on the Bookstall, are available by post from Ted Connell.
