> Ron, Carol and All, First of all, I'd like to apologize for having
>come on so strong yesterday in my review of Birthright by N. Roberts. My
>problem comes from the minimalist research done. It does not help the
>profession when a site in Virginia (I am assuming the site was in VA ) was
>characterized as being 5,000 years old and was said to date from the
>Neolithic. Nor, does it reflect well upon the author to introduce
>domesticated cattle and pigs into such a setting. Ignorance is not bliss
>and it does a disservice to readers to assume that since they don't know
>anything, anything goes. There are several other authors, some of
>whom are archaeologists such as Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels and Dana
>Cameron, or authors Doug Preston and Lincoln Childs etc. who write
>perfectly delightful archaeological mysteries who wouldn't dream of
>including such misinformation into their books. Granted we as
>archaeologists make up a miniscule percentage of the readership of such a
>novel, but one would think that an author, even of a pot-boiler, would
>take a little more pride in their research. Dedie Snow (the old grump)
>
> -----Original Message-----
>From: Ron May [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 1:46 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: popular images of archaeologists
>
> Dedie, But notice you read the book too? The dialog and
>characterization is what made it a good read, not the plot or the facts.
>Characterization is the thread we were discussing, not books based on
>facts or reality. I could list the same complaints for Indiana Jones or
>Tomb Raider too, but that would not detract from the immense popularity
>of the writing. Ron May Legacy 106, Inc.
Who is the editor and publisher? It might be worth suggesting that the
setting of the book be changed. Is there a location in Europe that would
be similar to that of Virginia and has these type of sites?
Erica Sanborn
Mebane Archaeological Services
108 W. Carr St.
Mebane, NC 27302
919-563-6392 phone/fax
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