My "Outdated" Archaeology Library

NOTE: This article is focused on an ever-growing bibliography and will therefore be updated at irregular intervals.

A selection from my collection of old history & archaeology books.

One of the most interesting challenges that faced me during the early stages of researching the first book in the Professor Korrigan series (The Starseed) was that I quickly realised that I couldn’t entirely rely on up-to-date archaeological research. After all, Korrigan's adventures take place in the middle of the 20th century, meaning that any advancements made in the field of archaeology (as well as our general knowledge of history) in the past several decades was not always usable to me. And trust me when I say that scrubbing away recent advances in a scientific field while doing online research is difficult at best and impossible at worst. My solution therefore was an appropriately old-school one where I established a personal library of “outdated” archaeology and history books.

One of my hobbies—if you can even call it a hobby (maybe ‘esoteric fascination’ is a more accurate description)—is to study how people in the past perceived the world around them. As a society we tend to quickly forget what we "all" believed yesterday and one of my biggest pet-peeves in movies and literature is when characters in historical settings talk, behave and interact with the world around them in a manner that is comparable, or straight up indistinguishable, from the current zeitgeist. It is not simply anachronistic, but it betrays the apathy and lack of genuine curiosity in the people responsible for these stories. I would also argue that there is more to be gained from getting a genuine glimpse into the past than it is to simple transplant “modern” thinking into a vintage setting.

IT STARTED IN OXFORD

This vintage library properly began its life at the University of Oxford during a research trip to the Archaeological Institute in 2023. I wanted to familiarize myself with Professor Korrigan’s Oxford stomping grounds and was given a quick tour of the building by Robin Mason, the Communications and Outreach manager at the School of Archaeology. During the tour we briefly passed a bookshelf filled with mostly older research books during which she made a brief comment about how much more interesting the older book covers usually were (something which I very much agreed with), though I must admit that I took little note of it all at the time. In my defense, my focus was primarily on the building itself (it is quite a maze of corridors and stairs) and I was at the time going through the final stages of a pretty bad cold I had been dealing with during my travels across both Norway and the UK during the past two weeks. 

Upon my return home, however, I quickly realised that I had missed a golden opportunity by not snapping a few photos of the shelf, so I emailed Mason and asked her if she could take a few pictures for me. She happily obliged and within the next ten minutes after having received the photos I had already purchased several of them online.

The Institute of Archaeology at 36 Beaumont St, Oxford.

BOOKS VS THE INTERNET

I earlier alluded to how difficult it can be to find out-of-date research material online, but keep in mind that the process is barely any easier when trying to discover older research literature. The problem is that most algorithms are designed to give you the newest or most popular information related to your search words. I won’t go into how I feel that this trend can be problematic even when dealing with current, up-to-date information, but suffice it to say, in my particular situation, this function is completely antithetical to my goals. And trust me, simply Googling “old archaeology books” mostly just confuses the algorithms as all archaeology effectively deal with “old” things anyhow. You need to give it specific titles or author names, but then you're back at square one; how do you find old books if you don't know what to look for.

Once again, the old-school method proved the most efficient one. With my reference point from the School of Archaeology in Oxford, I managed to branch out to several books and authors based on the references found within. What started with a few general history books have developed into a collection of deeply esoteric books, ranging from half-a-century old ordnance surveys to beginner guides that would have been used by university students in the 1950s and 60s, much like the ones Korrigan would have taught during his fictional tenure at the university.

Of course, libraries in general are, and have been, a good source of information for me, especially the library at the Museum of Archaeology in my hometown of Stavanger, though I will limit this article to the books that I own. 

In my case I think I'd have more luck with a card-catalogue than with Google. 
(Photo taken at the Institute of Archaeology, May 2023.)

DON'T UNDERSTIMATE THE WEIRD AND UNUSUAL

I also want to point out that one of the areas where I find that “modern” views can most noticeably get in the way is in the field of mythology and folklore. Modern researchers have an unfortunate tendency towards a strongly reductionist view of the world that can often come off as dismissive and emotionally cold in its almost mathematical approach to spiritual abstractions. Granted, if you go too far back then the literature can often be prone towards the exact opposite problem, i.e. blatantly unscientific and often flamboyant assumptions that dabble in the esoteric and paranormal. Of course, seeing as I’m not technically a historical researcher but a fiction writer, then these eccentric views can often be exactly what I am looking for. Yet another benefit of “outdated” research books. 

You might also notice on the list below that in addition to including books that classify more as anthropology than archaeology, there are also a few esoteric ones that, while not overly scientific, definitely fits the category previously mentioned of books that explore contemporary views and interpretations of history. A great example of this is Sigmund Freud’s Moses and Monetheism, a rather peculiar but very fascinating analysis of the Moses story by the founder of psychology. Scientific? Not really. Interesting? Definitely! Not to mention exactly the kind of odd thing that an eccentric researcher like Professor Korrigan might have found interesting.

It is also important to stress that this collection isn’t only for my own fascination and private research but an attempt to get into the headspace of the character of Professor Korrigan himself so that I can make him a more rounded and believable, not to mention more interesting, character.

PS. Since I'm a bibliophile geek I naturally have my own Ex Libris book stamp. The design, which depicts Wotan (Odin), is taken from a 1910 edition of The Rhinegold and the Valkyrie illustrated by the great Arthur Rackham. This isn't strictly relevant to this article but when else will I get the chance to show off my personalised stamps—yet another of my old-school interests.  

Adding to the provenance of a book that has been through many owners over the years (including a boarding school). Much of my collection consist of former library books.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Blindheim, Charlotte., Ellen-Karine Hougen, Jon Høsøien, Arne Bjørn Thorbjørnsen, Henning Sinding-Larsen, Erik Lunde, Harald Brynildsen, Helge Ingstad, Anders Hagen, Sverre Marstrander, Alf Næsheim. Vikingtog og Vikingtid. Oslo: Chr. Schibsted Forlag, 1977.

Brodrick, M. & A. A. Morton. A Concise Dictionary of Egyptian Archaeology. London: Senate, 1996. First published in 1902 by Methuen & Company Ltd, London. 

Budge, Ernest A. Wallis. The Mummy: Funeral Rites & Customs in Ancient Egypt. London: Senate, 1995. First published in 1893 by The University Press, Cambridge.

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1973. First published in 1949 by Bollingen Foundation Inc., New York.

Ceram, C.W. (Marek, Kurt W.). Gods, Graves & Scholars: The Story of Archaeology. Second, Revised and Substantially Enlarged Edition. London: Book Club Associates, 1971. First published in 1949 by Rowohlt Verlag GmbH., Hamburg-Stuttgart. 

Ceram, C.W. (Marek, Kurt W.). The First American: A Story of North American Archaeology. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1971.

Childe, V. Gordon. The Dawn of European Civilization. Paladin, 1973. First published by Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd in 1925. 

Clark, Grahame. Archaeology and Society. London: Methuen & Co Ltd, 1972. First published 1939.

Doblhofer, Ernst. Voices in Stone: The Decipherment of Ancient Scripts and Writings. Trans. Mervyn Savill. London: Souvenir Press, 1961 (1st UK edition). First published in 1957 in German by Paul Neff Verlag, Vienna.

Freud, Sigmund. Moses and Monotheism. New York: Vintage Books, 1967. First published in 1939 by Hogarth Press.

Gibson, A. V. B. Instructions in Archaeology. London: Museum Press Limited, 1963.

Ginzburg, Carlo. The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 2013. First published in Italy in 1976 by Giulio Einaudi editore.

Greene, Kevin. Roman Pottery. London: British Museum Press, 1992.

Hagen, Anders., Gerd Hennum, Egil Mikkelsen, Asbjørn Klepp, Anne Skatvedt, Sven Krohn, Arne Emil Christensen. De Første Nordmenn: Da Landet ble Befolket. Oslo: Chr. Schibsted Forlag, 1975.  

Hawkes, Sonia Chadwick & Andrew Selkirk. Silver Jubilee Reflections. Oxford University Institute of Archaeology, 1987. Facsimile.

Her Majesty’s Stationary Office. Field Archaeology: Some notes for beginners issued by the Ordnance Survey. London, 1963 (fourth impression 1966).

Hole, Christina. Witchcraft in England. London: Book Club Associates, 1977.

L'Orange, H. P. & P. J. Nordhagen. Mosaikk: Fra Antikk til Middelalder [translation: Mosaics: From Antiquity to the Middle Ages]. Stavanger: Dreyers Aksjeselskap, 1958.

Lillehammer, Grete. "Death and Grave: Burial Rituals of the Kvassheim Cemetary, Hå in Rogaland, SW Norway." AmS-Skrifter 13. Stavanger: Arkeologisk museum i Stavanger, 1996.

Oekonomides, Al. N. The Acropolis of Athens: A Supplementary Explanation. Translated by C. Tassouli. Athens: N Gouvoussis, 1996.

Richmond, I. A. Roman Britain. Pelican Books, 1964. First published 1955. 

Saklatvala, Beram. The Origins of the English People. David & Charles Newton Abbot, 1969.

Smith, Reginald Allender. Guide to Early Iron Age Antiquities. London: British Museum, 1925. Second edition.

Piggott, Stuart. Ancient Europe from the beginnings of Agriculture to Classical Antiquity. Edinburgh University Press,1967. First published in 1965.

Piggott, Stuart. Approach to Archaeology. London: Adam & Charles Black, 1960. First published 1959.

Piggott, Stuart. The Druids. London: Thames & Hudson, 1993. First published in 1968.

Piggott, Stuart. Scotland Before History. Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd, 1958.

Proctor, G.L. The Vikings: Then and There Series. London: Longmans, Green and Co Ltd., 1964. First published in 1959.

von Bothmer, Dietrich. Guide to the Collections: Greek and Roman Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1968. 

von Hagen, Victor Wolfgang. Realm of the Incas. New York: The New American Library, 1964. First published in 1957.

Webster, Graham. Practical Archaeology: An Introduction to Archaeological Field-work and Excavation. London: Adam & Charles Black, 1963.

Wheeler, Sir Mortimer. Archaeology from the Earth. Penguin Books, 1968. First published in 1954 by The Clarendon Press, Oxford.

Wheeler, Sir Mortimer. The Indus Civilization. London: Book Club Associates, 1976. Third edition. First published in 1955 by Cambridge University Press.

Wilson, Edmund. The Scrolls from the Dead Sea. Fontana Books, 1957. First published by W. H. Allen in 1955. 

Wood, Eric S. Collins Field Guide to Archaeology in Britain. London: Book Club Associates, 1973. First published in 1967.

Updated 16 July, 2024: added Voices in Stone & Oxford Institute of Archeology Silver Jubilee Reflections.
Updated 04 September, 2024: added The Indus Civilization & The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a 16th Century Miller.
Updated 01 August, 2024: added Realm of the Incas. 
Updated 01 February, 2025: added Death and Grave: Burial Rituals of the Kvassheim Cemetery. 
Updated 01 March, 2025: added Mosaikk: Fra Antikk til Middelalder, Guide to the Collections: Greek and Roman Art & The Acropolis of Athens.
Updated 21 May, 2025: added The Dawn of European Civilization, Archaeology and Society, Instructions in Archaeology, Roman Pottery, Roman Britain, Guide to Early Iron Age Antiquities, The Scrolls from the Dead Sea & Collins Field Guide to Archaeology in Britain.