It's Here!!!

[endlessrarities]

I'm delighted to announce that I am now the proud owner of a Very Heavy Tome.  My author's copies appeared on my desk as I was just about to leave the office; I nearly missed horse-riding as a result, what with all the business of slicing open boxes and plucking up the courage to pull out a book and see my name in print. 

I'm rather chuffed.  It looks lovely.  It has a snazzy blue cover (any archaeologists out there will know exactly what I'm talking about...) and the whole impression is good.  After fifteen years of epic struggle, I should blinkin' well hope so!

I can think of a number of uses for my magnum opus.  I could:-

      1) Stand upon it to reach high shelves.

      2) Use it to prop up a shoogly tableleg.

      3) Use it as a mean of self-defence against an intruder.  (Death by Textbook - Ouch!!)

      4) Paper the walls of my house.

This was the icing on the cake, after I'd already had a very enjoyable day playing around with prehistoric pottery.  I drew a Bronze Age pot this morning, then in the afternoon, I moved onto the Neolithic stuff (while listening to The Rite of Spring...).  Now, I must apologise profusely for being rude about Neolithic pottery the other day. In my defence, I must admit that I haven't seen any Neolithic pottery at close quarters for six years and I've never had the opportunity to draw any before.  And, as I said on my post on the Vix Krater, it's only by drawing the object that you can really get to grips with it. 

To say I was impressed was an understatement.  It was well-made, well-fired and robust.  When I'd given it a cursory glance the first time around I'd assumed it was quite late in date (pre-Roman Iron Age, perhaps) on account of it being so NICE!!  But when I looked more closely at it today, I wound up kicking myself, because it's true identity was staring me in the face.  Handmade vessel with everted rims?  Yep, it's Neolithic. 

I remember being told in the past that Neolithic pottery is much nicer than Bronze Age stuff, but I'd forgotten just how lovely it is.  There's no chance of this stuff disintegrating during the drawing process, I can tell you.

The exercise was not entirely trouble free.  Two contexts have, unfortunately, produced parts of the same pot.  This of course is almost guaranteed to cause confusion.  My first attempt at combating this was by trying to stick little sticky post-its onto the rear of the sherds from one context.  These didn't want to stick, but thankfully, plain old masking tape did the trick.

We now have three pots (two Bronze Age, one Neolithic)  from the same site which survive as substantially complete vessels.  Exciting, or what?
 
More from Rosslyn Chapel tomorrow!

Comments

[bellakara.livejournal.com]

Ha, ha! Congratulations! I haven't read your post yet - just the beginning. Will go and read it now.

[bellakara.livejournal.com]

Of course, I demand to see a copy at some point - both volumes.

Well done! You've well and truly arrived. They'll be quoting your tome for centuries to come.

[bellakara.livejournal.com]

I don't see any mention of two volumes here. I thought it came in two parts?

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Yes. It does indeed come in two volumes. It came in two boxes, too.

I'll bring in a copy on Monday so I can show it off!! It's very blue. Eiffel 65 could write a song about it! (I'm showing my age here, and a dodgy taste in silly chart pop songs...)

[writeonq.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the book! Academic publishing for the WIN :)

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Some of the pictures will probably end up being put up on the British Museum website, believe it or not...

I'm glad to hear your birthday went well. And I'm even more delighted to hear that you're writing.

Go for it, girl!

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

It's not exactly a riproaring page-turner, though I daresay some critics would suggest that its conclusions are entirely fictional (I'm all for the concept of prehistory as science fiction!)

I wonder if anyone will buy a copy?? I don't make any money from the enterprise, anyway, even though it costs a pretty packet! I can imagine a lot of very tedious typologists from continental Europe might want to read it...

[treenahasthaal.livejournal.com]

Congrats on getting your name in print!! : ) I's love to see it, even if I probably wouldn't understand most of your thesis. : )

Thanks for the Birthday wish. I've had a nice day. : ) I've even done a bit of writing. : )

[faerie-writer.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on your new book baby! :D *oohs and ahhs*

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

It's a BIG baby.

And it's had a heckuva long gestation period...