Reading, Writing and Archaeology - An Autobiographical Essay (Paperback)

The very word "autobiography" immediately suggests vanity and boasting of impressive achievements. Nothing could be further from the intentions of the author in this case. I take a fairly jaundiced view of my life and its shortcomings but hope that with the detachment of old age (I am 83) it may be possible to see past events as near to real as one can hope to achieve and as far as a fairly sombre temprament allows. I try to fit myself into the context of the time and place as seen by an old man and not in the full flood of emotion felt at the time. I am not suggesting my experiences are unique although in one sense they are. We only have one life and so can only know our own experiences and feelings albeit assuming that others have closely similar experiences and feelings. This after all is the basis of poetry or literature. I hope therefore that the reader will perhaps be able to share some of my feelings in a perhaps unusual but in no way extra-ordinary life.