Books
by Guy de la Bédoyère
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Although
I’m usually known for my interest in Roman Britain, I have published books on a
number of other subjects. The following books by myself are currently available
(unless stated otherwise) apart from those still in production.
BUYING THE
BOOKS. Books in print can mostly be obtained from Amazon. Just Click on the
link by the title and you’ll be taken straight to the page with ordering
information at discounted prices.
I’ve
also added links to Books I’ve read and which I’d recommend at Recommendations
27. For Thames & Hudson I have an illustrated
history and archaeology of Roman Britain, published in May 2006. Order from
Amazon by clicking here Roman
Britain: A New History
‘Extremely
well-written’ Minerva
‘The
last chapter is particularly fine’ British Archaeology
ISBN 0
500 05140 2
28. For Boydell I have produced The
Letters of Samuel Pepys, the first selection of his letters drawn from all
sources to be issued since 1932 and only the second such selection ever. Boydell have posted special preview pages on their
website. Check them out Here.
‘Well
edited… well chosen …one finished the book with a stronger conviction of [Pepys’s]
kindness and good nature… Guy de la Bédoyère is very much at home in the
period’. Spectator
Order from Amazon by clicking here:
The
Letters of Samuel Pepys
ISBN
184383197X
29. Romans
For Dummies – published November 2006. This title, in the long-running and
far-reaching Dummies series is a complete history of the Roman world and
its culture. Divided into sections covering the remarkable series of events
from the foundation of Rome in 753 BC to the final collapse of the Eastern
Empire in AD 1453, it features everything from anarchy to amphitheatres,
oppression to opulence, conquest to cruelty, and includes a cavalcade of heroes
and villains.
Order from Amazon by clicking here: The
Romans for Dummies (For Dummies)
Books
previously published:
1. Samian Ware, Shire
Archaeology, Aylesbury 1987 (68pp, 51 line and monochrome illustrations, 1
colour). OUT OF PRINT, try Abebooks
ISBN 0
85263 930 9
2. The
Finds of Roman Britain, Batsford, London 1988 (242pp, 122 line and
monochrome illustrations, 27 colour). ISBN 0 7134 6082 2. OUT OF PRINT, try Abebooks
'It is
refreshing to read plain English...' Antiquity
3. The
Buildings of Roman Britain, Batsford, London 1991 (256pp, 185 line and
monochrome illustrations, 16 colour). ISBN 0 7134 6311 2
IN PRINT BY Tempus (2004 version) AS ISBN 0 7524 1906 4.
Paperback.
The
text is well written, full of sensitive intuition...it will be widely read and
valued' SS Frere in the Times Literary Supplement
Order the new edition from Amazon by
clicking here: The
Buildings of Roman Britain
4. Roman
Towns in Britain, Batsford/English Heritage, London 1992 (143pp, 102
line and monochrome illustrations, 16 colour). In print by Tempus as ISBN 0 7524 2919 1, revised 2003
edition. Order from Amazon by clicking here: Roman
Towns in Britain
ISBN 0
7134 6893 (hardback), 0 7134 6894 7 (paperback).
5. Roman
Villas and the Countryside, Batsford/English Heritage, London 1993
(143pp, 113 line and monochrome illustrations, 16 colour). ISBN 0 7134 7045 3 (hardback),
0 7134 7046 1 (paperback). OUT OF PRINT, try Abebooks
6. The Writings of John Evelyn, Boydell, Woodbridge 1995. ISBN 0 85115 631 2
'[Evelyn's writings] display a shoddiness
of execution which has been brought to light by the editor's work in annotating
them... It is good to see such writings acquire a wider circulation...' English
Historical Review
7. The Diary of John Evelyn, Boydell, Woodbridge, 1995. ISBN 0 85115 639 8. Reprinted 2004
‘Acute appraisal of his character and
personality... knows his subject well... admirably geared to the needs of the
general reader... a well made selection, excellently presented’ History
8. Particular Friends. The Correspondence of Samuel Pepys and John
Evelyn, Boydell, 1997 and
reprinted (revised) in 2005 first person singular series, Woodbridge
ISBN 1 84383 134 1
'meticulously edited ... great virtue of
this book is the intriguing insight into the minds of two exceptional men' Spectator
'an excellent way to appreciate the
strengths and weakness of the great wave of intellectual curiosity that swept
across English life during the reigns of the later Stuarts'. TLS.
Order from Amazon by clicking here:
Particular
Friends: The Correspondence of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn (First Person
Singular)
9. Hadrian's Wall, History and Guide, Tempus, Stroud, 1998 (reprinted 2000 and again
2005). Takes the reader along Hadrian's Wall, site by site, and introduced with
a detailed history and archaeological background. 160pp, 87 figures. Paperback
£9-99. ISBN 0 7524 1407 0
'long
overdue and extremely welcome ... will prove invaluable ... an example of
scholarship open to all' Roman Archaeology
Order from Amazon by clicking here: Hadrian's
Wall: History and Guide (Tempus History & Archaeology)
There's
more on this at Hadrians Wall
10. The Golden Age. Roman Britain in the 4th century,
Tempus, Stroud, 1999 (Ancient History and
Medieval Book Club Book of the Month in June 1999). Hardback £25. ISBN 0 7524
1417 8
Order from Amazon by clicking here:
The
Golden Age of Roman Britain
11. A Companion to Roman
Britain, Tempus, Stroud, 1999
(288pp, 87 monochrome and line illustrations). Just published at £25. This book
is a comprehensive compilation of historical and epigraphic facts about Roman
Britain. Hardback £25. ISBN 0 7524 1457 7.
‘Contributes to a fine tradition of handbooks
on Roman Britain … deftly introduced and amply annotated.’ Antiquity
Order from Amazon by clicking here: Companion
to Roman Britain
12. Battles
over Britain: the Archaeology of the Air War, Tempus, Stroud, 2000 (95 monochrome and 30
colour illustrations).This book takes an over-view of the remarkable evidence:
literary, oral, and archaeological, for the air war over Britain. It examines
how aircraft of the Second World War were built and what happens to them in the
ground, as well as how they have been excavated. Main stories feature the
Flying Fortress B-17G, and the Spitfire I, excavated for Channel 4’s Time
Team. Paperback £14-99. ISBN 0 7524 1485 2
Order from Amazon by clicking here: Battles
Over Britain: The Archaeology of the Air War
13. Voices
of Imperial Rome, Tempus, Stroud, 2000.
This book features an extensive range of excerpts from classical authors
describing life under the emperors and formed the basis for some of the BBC
Radio 4 series, Lend Me Your Ears, in May, June and July 2001. Chapters
include: Decadence, cruelty and vice, and Corruption, swindles and
double-dealing. Paperback £14-99. ISBN 0 0 7524 1497 6
Order from Amazon by clicking here: Voices
of Imperial Rome
14. Pottery
in Roman Britain, Shire, Aylesbury,
2000. Just published. This is a completely new version of the title with a 100%
new text and illustrations incorporating many new topics. Paperback £4-95. ISBN
07478 0469 9.
Order from Amazon by clicking here: Pottery
in Roman Britain (Shire Archaeology)
15. Aviation Archaeology in Britain.
Shire Archaeology no. 80, Shire Publications, Princes Risborough, 2000/2001.
Just published. 54 figures. ISBN 0 7478 0490 7. Paperback.
‘Mr de
la Bédoyère's evocation of the fragile potential of the archaeology of the
Battle of Britain should make us think, and quickly, about how much of this
recent heritage we might still preserve’. Norman Hammond, The Times 18
April 2001
Order from Amazon by clicking here: Aviation
Archaeology in Britain (Shire Archaeology)
16. Buildings of Roman Britain,
Tempus, Stroud, 2001 (reprinted with revisions 2004). 32 colour plates, 169
figures. Revised and updated version of the 1991 edition. ISBN 0 7524 1906 4.
Paperback.
‘Nobody
who cares for our architectural heritage can afford to be without it. ... imaginative
reconstructions ... He writes with passion ...[and] gets to the heart of the
matter.’ JBAA
Order the new edition from Amazon by
clicking here: The
Buildings of Roman Britain
17. Eagles
over Britannia. The Roman Army in Britain, Tempus, Stroud, 2001. 32 colour plates, 122
figures. £25. ISBN 0 7524 1923 4 NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK for £17-99
‘A
comprehensive survey... which has no real rival’. JBAA
‘A
highly readable account…’ Antiquity
Order from Amazon by clicking here
Eagles
Over Britannia: The Roman Army in Britain
18.
Architecture in Roman Britain, Shire Archaeology no. 66, 2002, 54
figures. ISBN 0 7478 0353 6. £4.99
Order from Amazon by clicking here
Architecture
in Roman Britain (Shire Archaeology)
19. The Home Front, Shire 2002. ISBN 0 7478
0528 8. An illustrated survey of life in Britain during the war years of
1939-45 when bombs, rationing, and the Home Guard all played a part in the most
dramatic phase of modern times. This is one of Shire’s best-selling books
and was reprinted in 2005.
Order from Amazon by clicking here:
The
Home Front (Shire Album S.)
20. Gods with Thunderbolts. A History of Religion in Roman
Britain. Tempus 2002. ISBN 0
7524 2518 8. The title is a narrative history of Romano-British religion with
166 monochrome illustrations and 33 colour plates.
‘The most
thoughtful, detailed and comprehensive book upon Romano-British religion yet
produced’. Professor Ronald Hutton, University of Bristol
Order from Amazon by clicking here: Gods
with Thunderbolts: Religion in Roman Britain
21. Roman Towns in Britain, Tempus 2003. Paperback £17-99. ISBN 0 7524
2919 1. A completely new edition of this book, originally published by Batsford
and English Heritage is now available. The book has served as a mainstay of
libraries and courses on Roman Britain but the subject has moved on apace in
the last ten years. A completely new colour section, and substantially
increased appendices, together with bang up-to-date information about new
discoveries, makes this an essential textbook.
Order from Amazon by clicking here: Roman
Towns in Britain
22. Defying
Rome. The Rebels of Roman Britain, Tempus 2003. Published autumn 2003 this book
is a series of accounts of the remarkable individuals like Caratacus, Venutius,
Boudica, Carausius and Alban – each of whom in his or her own way challenged
Roman power in Britain. Attracting the attention of Roman historians their
stories have been preserved for us.
‘The
characterisation of Carausius as an “unbelievably impertinent … celebrity
criminal” is a cameo masterpiece (p153), and the sheer bravado of the style
sweeps all before it … succeeds as a lively set of essays on the history of the
province.’ British Archaeology
Order
from Amazon by clicking here: Defying
Rome: The Rebels of Roman Britain (Revealing History (Hardcover))
Nos. 23-25 The First Polio
Vaccine, The Discovery of Penicillin and The First Computers
in the Evans Science Milestones series. Aimed at the US schools market
and Key Stage 3 in the UK. Each takes a key scientific development and traces
the history in an easy-to-read and extensively illustrated format.
Order from Amazon by clicking here:
The
First Polio Vaccine (Milestones in Modern Science)
The
First Computers (Milestones in Modern Science)
The
Discovery of Penicillin (Milestones in Modern Science)
26. Particular
Friends. The Correspondence of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn. Boydell, first person
singular series, Woodbridge ISBN 1 84383 134 1. This is the second revised
edition of a book I produced in 1997. It is now a standard reference work for
anyone studying the lives of either John Evelyn or Samuel Pepys because it
includes the full annotated texts of 131 out of the 135 letters known to have
been exchanged by these two men. Note that I have also prepared an edition of
the other Letters of Samuel Pepys for publication in 2006 (no. 28).
Order from Amazon by clicking here:
Particular
Friends: The Correspondence of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn (First Person
Singular)
These
are books I’ve read recently which I think are well worth looking at:
1.
David Mattingly, An Imperial Possession. This book couldn’t be more
unlike mine and I disagree with practically every word. So, decide for
yourself!
2.
Francis Pryor, Britain AD. Francis is one of Britain's best-known
archaeologists and this is his take on the history of Britain in the Roman
period and after.
3.
Stephen Johnson, The Ghost Map. Totally fascinating. This account of the
cholera outbreak of 1854 is a brilliant read and has a much bigger story to
tell about living in cities in the modern world.
4.
Sebastian Haffner, Defying Hitler. This is the most powerful book I have
ever read about the rise of the Nazis. An eyewitness account that lay hidden in
a desk for more than 50 years it tells with brutal clarity how the Nazis took
power thanks to the weakness and failings of their opponents and sheer luck.
Unputdownable.
5.
Rupert Everett, Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins. This extraordinary
autobiography is the most self-serving, navel-gazing piece of indulgent vanity
I have ever read. It has brilliant observations of the most vacant and
pointless lifestyle I think I have ever come across. Highly recommended if you
want a window into a world most of us ought to be blissfully grateful we have
nothing to do with!
6.
Camilla de la Bedoyere. These books are by my sister. One is the serious
account of the work of Dian Fossey. The other is one in a series she has
written for children and is great fun. There are several others too.
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