Sign-In
Cart
Telling Stories of the Past: An Archaeologist's Memoir
Paperback
Biographies GeneralArchaeology
ISBN13: 9781800508064
Publisher: Equinox Publishing (UK)
Published: May 1 2026
Pages: 180
Weight: 0.56
Height: 0.35 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
Brian Fagan was an internationally recognized authority on global prehistory and one of the best-known archaeologists of the past half century. His nine textbooks introduced hundreds of thousands of students to archaeology. His numerous popular books, on everything from Ancient Egypt to early seafaring, brought archaeology to a broad swath of the public, and sometimes landed on The New York Times bestseller list. He wrote columns for archaeology magazines and for general ones, and also appeared on TV shows and documentaries about the past.
Telling Stories of the Past is Fagan's memoir of his life and work, completed only days before his death in July, 2025. In this book, he charts his early career as a field archaeologist in Africa, his work as a museum officer, his entry into academic life, his writing and teaching at University of California, Santa Barbara, and his long career as a consultant working with the National Geographic Society, the BBC, and other media organizations. He won numerous awards for his public writing, teaching, and media work.
He focuses the most attention on his work as a writer and teacher, describing his process for developing trade books and textbooks, and his approach to attracting students to archaeology through innovative teaching methods. The guidance he provides here will be of great value to younger scholars and writers of all ages.
Fagan also discusses his concern with climate change, resulting in a series of four recent books on the subject. A lifelong sailor, Brian shows how the discipline required for sailing impacted his ability to both think and write. His interaction with many of the legendary figures in archaeology are recounted as well.
Written in Fagan's clear, popular style, this volume provides direction for younger archaeologists who wish to engage with the general public, and is an illuminating guide to archaeology for non-specialist readers.
1 different editions
Also available
Also in
Biographies General
Bluesland: Portraits of Thirteen Major American Blues Masters
Toby Byron (ED.)
Pete Welding (ED.)
Hardcover
Karl Popper - The Formative Years, 1902 1945: Politics and Philosophy in Interwar Vienna
Hacohen, Malachi Haim
Hardcover
The Children of Athena: Greek Intellectuals in the Age of Rome: 150 Bc0-400 AD
Freeman, Charles
Hardcover
Make It a Double: From Wretched to Wondrous: Tales of One Woman's Lifelong Discovery of Whisky
Sackier, Shelley
Hardcover
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
Isaacson, Walter
Hardcover
An Enemy Such as This: Larry Casuse and the Fight for Native Liberation in One Family on Two Continents Over Three Centuries
Correia, David
Hardcover
Agents of Chaos: Thomas King Forçade, High Times, and the Paranoid End of the 1970s
Howe, Sean
Hardcover
The Secret Life of the Savoy: Glamour and Intrigue at the World's Most Famous Hotel
Williams, Olivia
Paperback
The Badger: The Life of Bernard Hinault and the Legacy of French Cycling
Fotheringham, William
Paperback
The Devil's Diary: Alfred Rosenberg and the Stolen Secrets of the Third Reich
Wittman, Robert K.
Kinney, David
Paperback
Florence Kelley and the Nation's Work: The Rise of Womens Political Culture, 1830-1900
Sklar, Kathryn Kish
Paperback
The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII
Warnicke, Retha M.
Paperback
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II
Purnell, Sonia
Hardcover
Living with a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth about Everything
Ehrenreich, Barbara
Paperback
Seafaring Women: Adventures of Pirate Queens, Female Stowaways, and Sailors' Wives
Cordingly, David
Paperback
The Butcher, the Embezzler, and the Fall Guy: A Family Memoir of Scandal and Greed in the Meat Industry
Cherington, Gretchen
Paperback
Gift of Power: The Life and Teachings of a Lakota Medicine Man
Lame Deer, Chief Archie Fire
Erdoes, Richard
Paperback
My Own Devices: True Stories from the Road on Music, Science, and Senseless Love
Dessa Wander
Hardcover
Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice
Giuffre, Virginia Roberts
Hardcover
How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
Lawson, Jenny
Hardcover
Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor
Kuehn, Christine
Hardcover
Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground
Dohrn, Zayd Ayers
Hardcover
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon
Fedarko, Kevin
Paperback
Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast
Colloff, Pamela
Hardcover
Through Mom's Eyes: Simple Wisdom from Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans
Jones, Sheinelle
Hardcover