Outstanding -- and frequently amusing -- step-by-step introduction to field archaeology, timescales, and the basics of digging, with many less obvious or less well-known facts about the nature of British finds, archaeology as a career, and the rights and wrongs of snooping in the earth. Loaded with diagrams, it seems greedy to say that I could even have benefitted from a few more. Tons of photos, not so much for beauty as for pertinent illustrations. All-round, a terrific book and I would love to see one day a new edition, brought up to date. (Archaeology is these days a rapidly developing discipline.) The late Mick Aston is missed! And the current (now Sir) Tony Robinson is much appreciated.

One other thing: when I finished the book, the sense of beauty and grace was so strong that I actually shed a tear. This book doesn’t just show you how to do archaeology. It shows you why it matters.