"Material Culture in London in an Age of Transition&quo

[Tibbie Croser]

This is a book by Geoff Egan, published in 2005 or 2006 by the Museum of London Archaeology Service. It disappointed me in a number of ways. It is *not* a catalog of the Museum of London's 16th- and 17th-century collections; it reports finds made at certain sites in Southwark that can be dated to 1450 to 1700. It omits ceramics and textiles, which are two of my main interests. It describes a number of leather items, the most impressive being a late-16th-century saddle, and many more small metal items, including some helmet bits, brigandine plates, and other bits from armor. The book is a good resource for someone interested in metal artifacts.

Of course, much of my disappointment is due to previously having looked through the Mary Rose artifact book, which has a huge array of wonderful stuff. The Mary Rose items were in use at the time that they were buried, whereas the Southwark finds are items that were discarded or lost.

So I'm back to hoping that someday the Museum of London will publish a catalog of their Tudor-era collection, especially textiles and leather, with color photos. At least they have their ceramic collection viewable online.

[James B.]

I love that book myself, the leather pattens made it worth they buy alone.

[Karen Larsdatter]

If you're just looking for the Museum of London's ceramics, especially their Tudor-era ceramics, go to http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/ceramics/