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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Non-fiction: The Tribes of Britain by David Miles

A friend lent me a promising non-fiction book called The Tribes of Britain  by David Miles. I have only read a bit of the first chapter so far but it appeals to the Pagan and the Anthropologist in me, as well as the fact that my genetic heritage includes "English", "Irish", and "Welsh" blood.  It also doesn't hurt that the book is well written by an author with some functioning brain cells. 
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Here is the blurb from the back cover:

"Who are the English, the Irish, the Scots and the Welsh? -- a ragbag of migrants, reflecting thousands of years of continuity and change. 

Now scientific techniques can explore this complex genetic jigsaw; ancient Britons and Saxons, Celts and Romans, Vikings and Normans, and the more recent migrations which have created these multicultural islands. 

Drawing on the most recent discoveries, this book both challenges traditional views of history and provides new insights into who we are today."
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"Massively informative and earthily evocative, it does some of the preliminary  work necessary to understand, if not cure, our current identity crisis." Sunday Times. 
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Here is the author's Bio:

David Miles was Chief Archaeologist at English Heritage from 1999 to 2004. Previously the Director of Oxford Archaeological Unit and an Associate Professor of Stanford University, he is a Research Fellow of the Institute of Archaeology, Oxford and a Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford. As consultant to the Historic Royal Palaces Agency, he has organized excavations in the Tower of London and Hampton Court.  His principle projects at English Heritage include Stonehenge, coastal and maritime surveys, and the National Mapping Programme, using aerial photography to explore the English landscape. David Miles is the author and co-author of many books and articles on history and archaeology including [U]An Introduction to Archaeology[/U], [U]An Atlas of Archaeology[/U] and[U] The Countryside of Roman Britain[/U]. He was a columnist for the Oxford Mail and Times for ten years and frequently broadcasts on radio and television. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and Scotland. 
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Sounds good so far! Now to find the time to read it! ;)


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