'The Irish Stone Axe Project - Monograph 1' - Where can I get a copy?

KnapperHandy

Hi All,

I'm hoping someone may be able to let me know where I can purchase a
copy of the publication 'The Irish Stone Axe Project - Monograph 1'?

Amazon are selling a used copy for no less than £125!!!I've been to the
National Museum,where there were several copies at one stage,but not
anymore.Hodges Figgis on Dawson St.(always reliable) no longer have a
copy either.I've even contacted the publishers,Wordwell,who have informed
me it's no longer in print and it's unlikley it'll be in reprint within the
foreseeable future.

If anyone has a spare copy they're willing to part with(I'll pay),please let me know.

Many Thanks.

dr gonzo

KnapperHandy wrote: »

Hi All,

I'm hoping someone may be able to let me know where I can purchase a
copy of the publication 'The Irish Stone Axe Project - Monograph 1'?

Amazon are selling a used copy for no less than £125!!!I've been to the
National Museum,where there were several copies at one stage,but not
anymore.Hodges Figgis on Dawson St.(always reliable) no longer have a
copy either.I've even contacted the publishers,Wordwell,who have informed
me it's no longer in print and it's unlikley it'll be in reprint within the
foreseeable future.

If anyone has a spare copy they're willing to part with(I'll pay),please let me know.

Many Thanks.

I hadnt seen that they had stopped selling it through Wordwell, thats sad. Absolutely fantastic book (Although I may be biased as I work for ISAP and am currently doing a stone axe thesis!). You've done a pretty exhaustive search which leaves me without too many ideas unfortunately.

Try your luck on Abebooks, a second hand book seller site. you can often find good offers for books that are otherwise extremely difficult to get. Beyond that all I can offer is to scan and email some relevant material from it to you?

Tell me how you get on anyway.

KnapperHandy

Hi dr gonzo,

Thanks for coming back to me.

I had paid Wordwell for a copy of the book and when it hadn't arrived after
several days,I contacted them only to be told they no longer had any left
in stock,and sadly were unlikely to be reprinting it.

I'll try Abebooks as you suggested.

I couldn't help notice another thread which you yourself started relating to
Dolorite axe heads.I'm sure you may have seen my couple of posts relating
to finds I myself have made in a field close to my home.Apart from some
150 or more pieces of flint and chert,I also found what I initially believed to
be a grey sandstone axe head/roughout.It's now with the national museum,but was told it would be looked at by the ISAP in due course and
would be made aware of their findings.I'm afraid after two or more years,I've not heard anything since!

I've sent a number of images below and was wondering if you could give
me an idea of what material you believe it is composed of?Another forum
member has suggested it may very well be dolorite - what do you think?
I'm afraid petrology is not one of my strong points!

Many thanks again for your help.

All the best.

Coles

My amateur eye would say it's definitely dolerite. Great find.

dr gonzo

KnapperHandy wrote: »

Hi dr gonzo,

Thanks for coming back to me.

I had paid Wordwell for a copy of the book and when it hadn't arrived after
several days,I contacted them only to be told they no longer had any left
in stock,and sadly were unlikely to be reprinting it.

I'll try Abebooks as you suggested.

I couldn't help notice another thread which you yourself started relating to
Dolorite axe heads.I'm sure you may have seen my couple of posts relating
to finds I myself have made in a field close to my home.Apart from some
150 or more pieces of flint and chert,I also found what I initially believed to
be a grey sandstone axe head/roughout.It's now with the national museum,but was told it would be looked at by the ISAP in due course and
would be made aware of their findings.I'm afraid after two or more years,I've not heard anything since!

I've sent a number of images below and was wondering if you could give
me an idea of what material you believe it is composed of?Another forum
member has suggested it may very well be dolorite - what do you think?
I'm afraid petrology is not one of my strong points!

Many thanks again for your help.

All the best.

Wow, you just never know what'll be posted on this site! Fantastic axe, thanks for sharing it. Do you know if the axe ever got passed onto us from the NMI? or do you have any other data for it? A museum number perhaps? I have about 90 dolerite axes sitting on my desk in the museum crypts as we speak so it might be one of them; it actually looks suspiciously like one I was examining earlier today

If its been through ISAP already it might be that its already analysed, in which case I can send you on the report. On the other hand if its still unanalysed in the museum I would love to get my hands on it for the thesis! Where did you find it incidentally?

Wibbs

Wow this KnapperHandy lad can stay. Love your posts. And this is coming from a brow ridged paleo type.

I second Abebooks myself. Can find some great out of print stuff there. I'd also do and save a search on ebay. Less likely but you never know. I've picked up a couple of rare and usually expensive elsewhere books on there.

On the abebooks front, Here's one that isn't exactly the same title, but for less than a tenner posted it may be worth a punt. One that does match is this one, but at the heavy duty price tag sadly.

KnapperHandy

Hi dr gonzo,

I'm delighted you like it!This axe sat on a counter in my kitchen for a couple of weeks whilst I cogitated whether this was an axe or just natural.I'm sure many contact the museum believing they've found a prehistoric axe when in
fact it's just a curiously shaped natural piece of stone.Thankfully,I did drop it
into the museum.I found it in 2009 and received correspondence in relation to it in December,2011.The NMI'S reference number for this find and several others is as follows:IA/39/2010.

Wouldn't it be amazing if you indeed were looking at it today?

One thing I can say about it is that one side was completely covered in a
white calcite-like encrustation(I've attached an image below).The area in
which it was found has calcium rich soils,which would also account for the
strong white patination of the flints found too.

Dr.Graeme Warren has had a look at many of these finds but never got a
chance to look at this when he was last looking at the assemblage;it's
possible it was just not there and was already with you guys in U.C.D.

Believe it or not,this may have been one of three stone axes to have been
found on this site.I have it on good authority(a local vocational school teacher),that two other polished stone axes were found by the farmer whilst he was digging holes for posts.The story goes that he gave them to a friend who knew someone at the NMI;the farmer it appears never saw them again.
So who knows what really became of these!The ownership of the field has
since changed hands,but I may be able to track down the farmer who may have found them originally,if so,I can let you know.

If you have by chance already analysed it,I would dearly love to see the
report.

Thanks a million.

Thanks to Coles too;your amateur eye was indeed right - well done!

KnapperHandy

Brilliant Wibbs - thanks a million for your input!

KnapperHandy

Apologies to dr gonzo - I forgot to mention where the axe was found;it was found in south Co.Kildare.

Cheers.

dr gonzo

KnapperHandy wrote: »

Apologies to dr gonzo - I forgot to mention where the axe was found;it was found in south Co.Kildare.

Cheers.

In my study area and everything! What a strange turn of events

Just checked our records and I dont think we have recorded it (although I cant be sure until I get back into UCD). Will note it down and see if I can get the museum to track it down for me. Might still be in Collin's Barracks with the other unincorporated materials.

Another one for the list regardless!

EDIT: Incidentally are you actually a knapper, because we're big into it in UCD. JimmyArch, myself and a handful of others started a group about 3 years ago at this stage. This is the facebook page if you want to mooch, although its a bit quiet at present: https://www.facebook.com/UCDStonework

KnapperHandy

Hi dr gonzo,

No I'm not a knapper I'm afraid.It's the reason why I joined the forum initially;I really needed help to date some of the lithics I had found.

KnapperHandy is just a play on the name of the patriot James Napper Tandy!
I've recently read a biography of Robert Emmet and Napper Tandy's name was
mentioned.I thought it an amusing double-entendre - is there a knapper handy?(sad I know!).

To be fair,JimmyArch has been brilliant in his analysis of some of my finds.

Yeah,I was looking at some of the goings on at U.C.D. the other day on facebook;I must check it out again.Thanks.

jimmyarch

Nice Axe!

Like I said in a previous post with the lithics this seems to be a dolerite, but it can be tricky to determine from a photo. If it is not a dolerite then it is some kind of sandstone.

Two further points of interest with this axe:

1. I'm pretty convinced this is not a roughout, it is a finished axe that has then had re-working and some damage. The edge has been intentionally destroyed at some stage. If this were a roughout the profile of the axe would be very different, the blade area would be significantly thinner and would taper towards an edge. This was a complete axe that was destroyed on purpose. The damage is far too heavy to occur as a result of use. It also has some plough damage on it. I have seen that patina type before but it is rare and I'm unsure of it's cause.

2. The other thing is this is a very classic Neolithic shape. The very flat, splayed sides, the symmetrical edge and the butt. I cannot tell from the photos, is the butt sloped? If it is it reflects some of the porcellanites from the Malone hoard, oblique butts being a feature of Irish porcellanite axes, especially ones seemingly made for depositional purposes. If the butt is rounded this is reminiscent of the 'Durrington' type, a possible Irish imitation of the JNadeite axes coming in from the continent during the early Neolithic - interesting then than this axe is also green!

Gonzo, if you had the County/Townland it might be interesting to see what other axes have been discovered locally? As far as memory serves this was not part of ISAP NMI acquisitions in the last few years so I suspect it is waiting analysis.

KnapperHandy

Nice to hear from you again JimmyArch.

I have attached below another image of the butt end of the stone axe.
It's a while since I last saw it,but if I can recall,the butt was damaged,but
unlike the most recent plough damaged area on the axe,this damage appeared to have a patina,which may mean it is ancient damage.

This axe was found on a west-facing slope of a field,some 45 metres uphill
of a large natural spring.

I know JimmyArch,dr gonzo et al are all keen flint knappers and may be interested in the other images I've posted;I believe it's a hammerstone,which appears to have visible percussion damage/pecking.It's oval in shape and measures approximately 75mm. x 65 mm. It looks like a cream-coloured sandstone.It was found a little further up the slope,some 50-60 metres from the stone axe.

A very experienced archaeologist has already seen some of these images and he thinks it's not unlike hafted mauls he has seen from excavations at Mount Gabriel.It fits rather comfortably in one's hand and the damage is where one would expect it to be if it was being used to strike cores.
What do you guys think?

I'll attach more images in the post below too.

Thanks again.

KnapperHandy

More pics of the hammerstone below.

jimmyarch

Well, here's the thing, if that stone was found in a sealed archaeological deposit with lithics it would be a hammerstone. However, from a surface scatter I think you can only say it is a stone with damage. That damage could have been as a result of use as a hammerstone or it could be from ploughs, spades, horse-shoes and other object (stones!) hitting it in the field.

Notably, from a knapping point of view, I think you could find better shaped hammerstones and the damage is pretty heavy, you would expect it to have been discarded sooner if it was being used for stone-craft.

jimmyarch

Oh, also! The axe butt is damaged and so would not have been sloped/oblique. Rather, it was slightly rounded, therefore more like the Durrington type than the Malone hoard type!

KnapperHandy

Hi jimmyarch,

The only thing I would say is that the damage is just in one area alone,and given the amount of damage,it would be unusual that when it was being rolled around in the soil(for goodness knows how long),that it was being battered each and every time in the very same spot - that would be too coincidental,surely?

Cul a cnoic

KnapperHandy wrote: »

Hi All,

I'm hoping someone may be able to let me know where I can purchase a
copy of the publication 'The Irish Stone Axe Project - Monograph 1'?

Amazon are selling a used copy for no less than £125!!!I've been to the
National Museum,where there were several copies at one stage,but not
anymore.Hodges Figgis on Dawson St.(always reliable) no longer have a
copy either.I've even contacted the publishers,Wordwell,who have informed
me it's no longer in print and it's unlikley it'll be in reprint within the
foreseeable future.

If anyone has a spare copy they're willing to part with(I'll pay),please let me know.

Many Thanks.

Just had a quick google and found it here for £25. Dosn't say thats its in stock but might be worth a try.

KnapperHandy

Hi cul a cnoic,

I might just contact them to see if they have one in stock.

Thanks for your help.

All the best.

Meathlass

I was in Kennys in Galway a few weeks ago and saw a copy of this but not sure which Monograph it was. Worth ringing them to check though.

KnapperHandy

I'll give them a ring so!

Thanks a million Meathlass.

KnapperHandy

I just rang Kennys and no joy there I'm afraid.
Never mind,I'll keep trying!
Thanks again Meathlass.

jimmyarch

KnapperHandy wrote: »

Hi jimmyarch,

The only thing I would say is that the damage is just in one area alone,and given the amount of damage,it would be unusual that when it was being rolled around in the soil(for goodness knows how long),that it was being battered each and every time in the very same spot - that would be too coincidental,surely?

Yeah, you're right in terms of the damage being localised. However, it can happen, and it can happen extremely quickly. Depending on the lithology that damage could happen with only a few impacts, when you consider the stone has been rolling around for a few hundred/thousand years then it is not impossible.

The key thing here is context. For the worked lithics their character and formation processes are clear and we can definitively say that they were intentionally made by people. The same is not true of this stone, out of context you just cannot be definitive. In a lithics report this would be labelled as a 'possible hammerstone' for this exact reason.

I used to have a second copy of ISAP but not anymore. You could try Readers, Parnell Street, you might get lucky. I have also previously seen it in Hodges Figgis.

KnapperHandy

Hi jimmyarch,

Yeah,I know what you mean about the 'hammerstone' - you can never definitively prove it was used as such.

Figgis Hodges had just sold out the last time I was there.They're normally my first port of call.I contacted a uk bookseller who may have one,but am still awaiting their reply,so here's hoping!

Thanks again for your help.