Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77915 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Synopsis
At the dawn of the twenty-first century, the Great War stands at the furthest edge of living memory. There are a handful of men alive who fought in the trenches of the Somme and Flanders. Within their own lifetimes, their memories have become epic history. Hardly a month passes without some dramatic and sometimes tragic discovery being made along the killing fields of the Western Front. Poignant remains of British soldiers buried during battle and then forgotten - lying in rows arm in arm, or found crouching at the entrance to a dugout. Whole 'underground cities' of trenches, dugouts, and shelters, preserved in the mud of Flanders - with newspapers and blankets scattered where they were left. There are field hospitals carved out of the chalk country of the Somme, tunnels marked with graffiti by long dead hands, and tons of volatile bombs and gas canisters waiting to explode. Yet, while there are innumerable books on the history of the war, there is not a single book on its archaeology. Nicholas J. Saunders' new book is therefore unique.

In an authoritative and accessible way, it would bring together widely scattered discoveries, and offer fresh insights into the human dimension of the war.

Customer Reviews

Good Up to Date Account of Subject
When I opened the package to look at this book for the first time and saw a rather anthropological looking chapter on memories - and a picture of modern Native Americans in a ceremonial wreath laying - I was concerned that I had let myself in for one of those highly abstract books of archaeological theory that so often frustrate rather than enlighten.

Happily this impression lasted no longer than page 30. For, with the theoretical constructs dealt with, Nicholas Saunders plunges into what he does best - a thoroughly competent examination of trench art and battlefront locations. Moreover what is new here, and very much up to date, is a review of recent digs and archaeological organisations with an interest in the Western Front or Gallipoli. Included are sections on the work of the 'Diggers' and 'No Man's Land', as well as longer established bodies. There are also good sections on museums.

Recommended for everyone with Western Front, archaeological or museological interests, collectors of trench art, and also battlefield visitors.