Stonehenge (Wonders of the World)

After describing, at the start, where Stonehenge is and who owns it, the author says "At this point we come, almost, to the end of the uncontested facts". So she concentrates instead on how Stonehenge and its 'meaning' have been argued over, and even fought over, across the centuries. How it's been taken a symbol of authentic Britishness - or of Roman, Danish, Phoenician, Mycenaean or space-god influence. How its dating has kept changing (and still is); its enduring associations with King Arthur, Druidry, The Wicker Man and astronomy; and its fascination not only for antiquarians and academics but also for the counterculture, the Earth Mysteries movement, and ordinary tourists. The book does look at the archaeology: the three-phase building (with the sarcen stones now dated to about 2580-2470 BC), and the enduring puzzle of how the bluestones could have been brought to the site from Wales. And it reminds us that it's not an isolated monument, but is part of a whole network of earthworks in the area - including its equally mysterious wooden counterpart, Durrington Walls. What becomes really clear though, is how influential Stonehenge has been on British culture. Over time, people have thought it a temple, an observatory, a hospital or spa, a monument to ancestor-worship, a royal burial ground, or even Stone Age sculpture. It's featured in the arts from Wordsworth to Spinal Tap via Thomas Hardy and Barbara Hepworth. It has inspired strange follies, and influenced unlikely areas of British architecture from Bath to Covent Garden to Milton Keynes. Finally the book reviews how the solstice has been celebrated there on and off since the 1870s with the Free Festivals, the Battle of the Beanfield, and the current 'open access'. The final section talks about the ongoing problems with conservation, access, the Visitor Centre, the underpass and the main roads; and provides a useful reading list, and handy advice on visiting. Although I thought that it veers a little too far from Stonehenge at times (onto pretty tangential-seeming stuff like `Zadok the Priest' or Churchill College), and (despite its cultural-history approach) ignores the _really_ wacky ideas that are about, I thought it was clearly-written, amazingly wide-ranging, and - like Stonehenge itself - totally fascinating!

This is a lovely book; well written and easy to read. All books written about Stonehenge of course are more or less histories of the theories and ideas that successive writers have presented to us. We can never know what the monument stands for, but we can speculate, with each age seeing it in the light of their own prejudices and mindsets. This book is no exception, but it's presented to you in a form that is gripping, and gives you much food for thought. I read it in two days, and wished it could have gone on, but it left me feeling frustrated that we know so little about the monument itself and the people who built it. Rosemary Hill could not tell you that, but she could certainly give you a greater appreciation of something that has become almost like an archetype in our minds. Her book is a worthy addition to the volumes of literature that have been written about Stonehenge and the ages in which it was built.

This is history told through Stonehenge, utterly compelling, full of out of the way facts, and very funny indeed. It is part of the Wonders of the World Series whose aim "is to get something much more enlightening, stimulating, even controversial, than straightforward histories or guides". Stonehenge achieves exactly that. Highly recommended.

Full of fascinating facts and nicely written. However, this used book seems to have been stolen from the Brighton and Hovep public library.

Very well thought out and executed ! A very good touchstone when looking into any and most of the main theories throughout time about Stonehenge. Was a great and easy read-would recommend to anyone with any kind of interest in Stonehenge :)

book was describes as bring in good condition, i wasnt expecting it to be like new, but it had a personal message scrawled on the inside cover! renders it useless for me as i had intended it as a gift. i can understand wear and tear in the condition of the book, but if its been written in, you cant really sell it like this! total waste of money.

This is a broad overview of Stonehenge, starting with a brief outline of its prehistory and continuing with how it's struck more recent visitors. Rosemary Hill has had to be fairly superficial and in the end she seems to throw up her hands "don't ask me to come up with any conclusions!" She fails to mention Rodney Castleden's "The Stonehenge people" with its insights. The latest theory is that Stonehenge was built to commemorate the switch from moon-worship to sun-worship and from the mother goddess with her emphasis on hunting and gathering to the male sungods with their emphasis on the weather and its imortance in a farming economy.

It covers manifold aspects. Very interesting but also enjoyable to be read it gives an idea of the evolution of thought through the different interpretations.

It pays to read the reviews! This book was well written and enjoyable, but not quite what I was looking for. I was hoping for a more scholarly treatise on the people, construction methods, times, beliefs etc over the period when Stonehenge was developed and in active use. This book covers that in some detail, but the main focus is post that era - the different interpretations of Stonehenge and what it means, particularly as seen over the last 500 years. Still, a worthwhile and enlightening read covering a subject that has had wildly disparate views, some scientific, some esoteric and many just way out there. The author also covers the very unfortunate story of the harsh treatment and disrespect this awesome place has suffered over the last century in particular. Hopefully "the Authorities" will eventually get it right. Bonus - good to see the many photos and illustrations have carried across to the Kindle format in fine form.

this book was utter torture to read. i was completely confused by it. this is great if you are a scholar or some sort of genious but if you are trying to do a simple project on Only stonehenge this is not the book for you. the only thing harder than reading the book is trying to summarize it when you hardly understood it. i now need to summarize this book. great.