“British Archaeology”

I have been editing British Archaeology, the Council for British Archaeology’s magazine, since November 2003. These are the front covers of the issues I have produced: click on the larger cover to see more about the new one. It is reviewed here, and you can read my British Archaeology posts here. More info below.

The magazine began in 1995, as a development from the newsletter that reached back in various forms continuously to 1951, and the Council for British Archaeology’s origins in 1944. In 1995 British Archaeology had 16 black and white pages and a colour cover, and succeeded what had been called British Archaeological News. Its editor was Simon Denison, a journalist with an interest in archaeology who has since gone on to be a documentary landscape photographer of no mean achievement.

Simon was editor when British Archaeology was relaunched in 2000, with a striking design by Simon Esterson. This Simon is a leading editorial designer, and even if you’ve never seen a copy of British Archaeology, you may well have enjoyed his work – he oversaw the Guardian newspaper redesign in 1999, for example, was responsible for the architecture magazines Blueprint and Domus, and is creative director of Eye (and frequent blogger), the international review of graphic design.

I worked with Simon Esterson on my first eight issues, after which production moved from London to the south-west. I started with 46 wire-bound pages including the cover. My last issue with Simon had 56, and was perfect bound. Subsequent cost savings enabled me to add a further 12 pages, which is where the magazine presently is.

My goal is that British Archaeology should publish the best and most interesting of what is happening today in its field (and sometimes things we might wish were not happening). The quality of unsolicited submissions, readers’ letters and general feedback – and rising circulation – suggest that I’m getting at least something right. But a magazine is only as good as its next issue: and you never know what that might hold.

How to find it

You can buy British Archaeology in UK shops (if you can’t find it, just ask in your local WH Smith and they will get it for you) or have it delivered to your door as a subscriber.

There is a digital subscription option that gives you a magazine you can read online, on your computer, smart phone or tablet including iPad and Android (you can see a complete issue here).

Members of the Council for British Archaeology get the magazine mailed to them, as well as free access to the digital magazine, as part of their membership benefits.