Less than two months since its launch, the third volume in the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute research series has almost sold out.
The book, The Ness of Brodgar: As it Stands, presents over a decade’s worth of information on all aspects of the monumental Neolithic site in Orkney.
Demand has been such that almost all the original 1,000 copies have gone and a second print run is under way.
Nick Card, of the UHI Archaeology Institute, is the Ness of Brodgar site director and one of the book’s editors. He said that although he suspected the book would be popular, he was not expecting a response on this scale.
“In archaeological terms, we’ve got a best-seller on our hands and copies of the book have been flying off the shelves to addresses around the world since November 18.
“We thought the initial print run of 1,000 would keep us going for quite a while, but our stock is now down to double figures. Clearly interest in the excavations at this phenomenal site shows no sign of waning.”
Professor Jane Downes, director of the UHI Archaeology Institute, added: “There is clearly a huge appetite around the world for in-depth information about this important site – from academics and the general public, who have been inspired through the site to learn more about life in Orkney 5,000 years ago.”
Published by The Orcadian, the next batch of books is expected in February.
- The second volume in the institute’s research series, Landscapes Revealed: Geophysical survey in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Area, was published in October 2020 and is available from bookshops.
This book is awesome. I visited the Ness in 2016 and really enjoyed seeing all the area from the Ring of Brodgar to the museum with all the artifacts that have been found. The book has given me a further insight into all the treasures . So good to hear that a second edition is in the works. Thank you to all the folks who contributed to this book.