Book Feature: The Real Middle Earth

One hundred generations ago, in the aftermath of the Roman retreat, the people of tribal Europe lived a hard existence in harsh conditions. They were deeply pragmatic but their view of life, death and the world around them was absolutely inspired. It was in this ancient belief-system that Tolkien immersed himself so eloquently and completely to create a Middle Earth that we cannot get enough of. With The Lord of the Rings as a constant guide, Brian Bates takes us on a wonderful tour of The Real Middle Earth.

Book Feature: What?s on the menu? Here?s something we prepared earlier!

Whether you?re looking for an alternative to turkey and Christmas pud, or something altogether more spicy, OXeN has plenty to offer. We can show you how to create food fit for a pharaoh or a courtesan or, if you prefer something much more down to earth, good honest peasant grub.

Book Feature: " ... the force of one man's will can and does change the course of history, ancient as well as modern"

If you asked me what kind of book I would like to read over the Christmas break, then I would say "A good novel!" But for those die-hard archaeologists out there, you might consider picking up a biography or two ... some are rather serious historical tomes, some are gratuitously sensational accounts of a life, but there is sure to be at least one that will appeal to you ...

The British Museum Diary 2003

And now for something a little bit different. Take a stroll through one of the world's most magnificent museums without ever leaving your desk! 250 years of history, anecdotes, illustrations and amusing tidbits fill the pages of this hard cover week-to-view diary. Discover some of the interesting and quirky gifts given to the Museum as well as how the Museum has grown and changed throughout the centuries. A wonderful gift that is both practical and unique ... or perhaps a treat for yourself!

Kate's Top Ten 'Good Deals' for Christmas

Need some ideas for Christmas? Here are ten books that we can offer at a special price. Any one of them would feel at home in a Christmas stocking ... that is, if you have a really BIG Christmas stocking. But beware, both quantities and days are limited ? you should get your orders in by December 8 to be sure of Christmas delivery.

Of all the new books that have passed over the desks of the Oxbow staff this month, these, for whatever reason, are the ones that grabbed their attention.

Meet the Publisher: Peter Kemmis Betty of Tempus

If you wander into your local bookshop looking for an "archaeology section" more often than the shop will fall short of expectations. But if you live in Britain, and are lucky enough to find the odd archaeology title lurking at the back of the history section, then it is quite likely that you will find a book produced by Tempus. Peter Kemmis Betty is the man behind the Archaeology List at Tempus, and he is a man with a mission ... Popular Archaeology ...

Conferences: A Reminder

The party season is upon us, and where better to strut your stuff than at meetings of your academic peers. Like parasitical insects, booksellers and publishers tend to cluster around the warm bodies of congress participants, and Oxbow and David Brown Book Company will be among those attending. And, if this all seems too cynical, remember that "the wisest mind has something yet to learn" (George Santayana).

On Saturday 21 December until Monday 23 December 2002, Oxbow Books will be in the North-West of England, participating in the annual meeting of the Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG). TAG is in Manchester this year, at one of the most theoretically-lively universities in the country. Julian Thomas and his colleagues are bringing together a program mixing some good-looking method (GIS etc) with some fairly wacky-looking theory. A good spread of periods and areas (from Paleo to Industrial and from Crete to Egypt) will be covered which is a welcome change from TAG's rather Anglo-centric prehistory focus. The Oxbow display will feature special promotions on Cambridge University Press, Routledge, AltaMira, Blackwell, Berg, Continuum, Kluwer, Oxford University Press, California and Princeton books. We will also have a huge range of new sale bargain offers, including many never seen before. If that doesn't tempt you then surely four hundred unshaven archaeologists, their bodies twisted by nights of half-sleep on student floors, strutting their stuff at the infamous TAG party is reason enough to visit this fun event. For more info, check out the conference website:
http://www.art.man.ac.uk/ARTHIST/tag/

On Friday 03 January until Monday 06 January 2003, The David Brown Book Company will be catching up with all the members of the Archaeological Institute of America. The AIA Annual Meeting moves to 'Nawlins' Louisiana this Winter, which should guarantee a record turn-out of not-so-ascetic classicists. The David Brown Book Company is proud to be working with so many of the archaeological institutions at the centre of Old World archaeology, and we guarantee a book display second-to-none at this year's meetings. Two events to really celebrate this year are the launch of the Archaeological Institute's new publications program and the presentation of the fantastic new Corinth centenary volume published by the American School of Classical Studies. If you have spent all your money on gumbo and crayfish we'll also have loads of great classical bargains including, we hope, many great new books from Johns Hopkins University Press. The AIA website has all the details:
http://www.archaeological.org

The industrial and colonial heritage of New England will be under the spotlight in the new year as the Society for Historical Archaeology 2003 Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology sets up at Providence, Rhode Island, from Tuesday 14 January until Sunday 19 January 2003. Providence is within driving distance of the David Brown Book Company's offices in Waterbury, Connecticut, and this means that we will be mounting a bumper display of new bargains and exciting new titles. Incidentally, did you know that we occupy one of Connecticut's industrial monuments? DBBC's warehouse was once part of North America's largest brass combine; a giant manufacturing area that supplied three quarters of the world's watch movements. While the scale has shrunk, the small businesses within the Old Pin Shop (we share space with an electrical contractor, a carpet wholesaler, a greetings cards supplier and an industrial chemist) preserve the spirit of those early 20th C pioneers. And of course, the conference organisers have a website:
http://www.sha.org/mt2003.htm

For other forthcoming conferences see our list of meetings:
http://www.oxbowbooks.com/confernc.cfm?&mid=

At Oxbow: It's the 2003 Sneaky Bargain Preview ... exclusively for OXeN readers !!

We know you love cheap books so we thought that OXeN readers might enjoy a first peak at some of the new titles we have bought for 2003. We won't be sending these books out to you before Christmas, but you are welcome to order some now (before we alert the wider world) and we will send them at the very start of January.

New Releases

At Oxbow, we also publish the occasional book. These are our new releases: