Number one bestseller for Exeter archaeologist

Dr Linda Hurcombe’s ‘Perishable Material Culture in Prehistory Investigating the Missing Majority’provides new approaches and integrates a broad range of data which looks at prehistoric organic material. It explores new ideas, connections and suggests revisionist ways of thinking about broad themes in the past.  It also demonstrates the value of a holistic approach by using examples and cases studies.

Dr Hurcombe said: “The subject of the book is perishable material culture which rarely survives, so it was a bit of risk to write in detail on what was largely not there.  I used a lot of ethnographic and experimental data to explain the rare organic archaeological finds and also presented ways of using stone tools and pots to say something about the organic materials and drew examples worldwide.”

The book is a useful addition for people wishing to understand better the nature and importance of organic materials as the ’missing majority’ of prehistoric material culture.

She added:“When you work on something novel you are never too sure how it will be viewed so it is great to know that people are interested in what I have written, but for the book to be number one bestseller across Routledge's archaeology and museum studies 2014 titles was a wonderful surprise and a great Christmas present.”