PAGAN BRITAIN - Ronald Hutton (Hardback, 2013, Yale University Press)

PAGAN BRITAIN - Ronald Hutton (Yale University Press, 2013)

Out-of-print Hardback w/ dust-jacket. 480 page

Britain's pagan past, with its mysterious monuments, atmospheric sites, enigmatic artifacts, bloodthirsty legends, and cryptic inscriptions, is both enthralling and perplexing to a resident of the twenty-first century. In this ambitious and thoroughly up-to-date book, Ronald Hutton reveals the long development, rapid suppression, and enduring cultural significance of paganism, from the Paleolithic Era to the coming of Christianity. He draws on an array of recently discovered evidence and shows how new findings have radically transformed understandings of belief and ritual in Britain before the arrival of organized religion. Setting forth a chronological narrative, Hutton along the way makes side visits to explore specific locations of ancient pagan activity. He includes the well-known sacred sites--Stonehenge, Avebury, Seahenge, Maiden Castle, Anglesey--as well as more obscure locations across the mainland and coastal islands. In tireless pursuit of the elusive "why" of pagan behavior, Hutton astonishes with the breadth of his understanding of Britain's deep past and inspires with the originality of his insights.

Condition : Very Good. Some edge-wear to jacket and some light shelf-wear to jacket also. Book is in excellent condition. Previous owner's name and date of purchase written neatly in pencil to first page (could be erased easily) and a few marks to edge of page-block. Otherwise clean, tight, tidy and unmarked throughout.