Cite this as: Keeble, H. 2025 How to Get Ahead in Archaeology: Using the Book Review System as a Strategy for 19th-Century Archaeologists, with a Case Study on Charles Roach Smith (1806–1890), Internet Archaeology 69. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.69.5
The 19th century was a formative period for archaeology, which wanted to define itself as a credible, scientific subject distinct from antiquarianism. It remained, however, an amateur pursuit with no available official training or qualifications and standards of work varied enormously. How, then, did practitioners prove their credentials, forge their reputations and become established as an 'expert'? Without governmental or institutional support, British archaeologists had to be enterprising, to rally public support and raise subscriptions for their projects, and this included utilising the opportunities offered by the new phenomenon of ‘mass print’. During the early part of the century, a reduction in production costs meant that the market became flooded with titles (Turner 2010). Book reviews were one way of dealing with so much information and review journals became popular and influential (Miller 2016, 627). This article will consider reviews published between 1840 and 1860, focusing on Romano-British archaeology, and in particular the case study of Charles Roach Smith, a leading figure in this field. It will show that reviewing was an activity central to the archaeological scene, which offered various opportunities for authors to 'get ahead'. It will also reveal that, as both a reviewer and a reviewee, Smith was able to use the book review system as part of his wider strategies to achieve his aims.
Corresponding author: Heather Keeble
[email protected]
University of Leicester
Figure 1: Charles Roach Smith 1883. Frontispiece, Retrospections, Social and Archaeological, Volume 3. London: George Bell & Sons
Figure 2: Book reviews for Charles Roach Smith compared with all Romano-British book reviews 1840–1860
Figure 3: Pie chart to show where reviews for Charles Roach Smith’s books were published 1840–1860
Figure 4: Bar chart to show the overall rating of Romano-British book reviews 1840–1860 by publication
Table 1: The number of reviews and publications by author for Romano-British books 1840–60
Table 2: Signed versus anonymous reviews in the Archaeological Journal 1840–1860
Table 3: Signed versus anonymous reviews in the Journal of the BAA 1840–1860
Table 4: Romano-British book reviews written by Charles Roach Smith 1840–1860
Data: Spreadsheet of all Romano-British book reviews 1840–1860 found in this study [.xlsx]
'Antiqua Explorata, Being the Result of Excavations Made by the Hon. R.C. Neville, In and About the Roman Station at Chesterford, &c.1847', 1848, Archaeological Journal 5, 235–38.
'Antiquities of Richborough, Reculver, and Lymne', 1850a, Literary Gazette (3 August), 518–19.
'The Antiquities of Richborough, Reculver, and Lymne', 1850b, (28 September), 1016–17.
'The Antiquities of Richborough, Reculver, and Lymne, in Kent', 1850c, Gentleman's Magazine (October), 356–64.
'The Antiquities of Richborough, Reculver, and Lymne', 1851a, Archaeologia Cambrensis (Jan), 87.
'The Antiquities of Richborough, Reculver, and Lymne', 1851b, The Museum of Classical Antiquities 1 (January), 96.
'The Archaeological Album; or Museum of National Antiquities', 1845, The Athenaeum (13 December), 1195–96.
'An Archaeological Index to Remains of Antiquities of the Celtic, Romano–British, and Anglo–Saxon Periods', 1847, The Athenaeum (11 September), 955–56.
'Article II: Antiquarianism in England', 1847, Edinburgh Review 86 (October), 307–28.
'Article VII: The Romans in Britain', 1851, Edinburgh Review 94 (July), 181–204.
'Caledonia Romana', 1845, Literary Gazette (12 April), 229–30.
'Catalogue of the Museum of London Antiquities', 1854a The Builder 12 (10 June), 311.
'Catalogue of the Museum of London Antiquities', 1854b, Gentleman's Magazine (June), 615.
'Catalogue of the Museum of London Antiquities', 1855a, Literary Gazette (24 February), 115–17.
'Catalogue of the Museum of London Antiquities', 1855b, The Athenaeum (24 March), 345.
'The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon', 1852a, The Athenaeum (17 July), 771–72.
'The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon', 1852b, Gentleman's Magazine (September), 231–38.
'The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon', 1852c, Literary Gazette (31 July), 589.
'Collectanea Antiqua', 1849, Literary Gazette (3 February), 77–78.
'Collectanea Antiqua', 1851, The Museum of Classical Antiquities 1 (January), 96.
'Collectanea Antiqua', 1852, Gentleman's Magazine (July), 69.
'Collectanea Antiqua', 1853, Literary Gazette (8 January), 38.
'Collectanea Antiqua', 1854, Gentleman's Magazine (November), 467–68.
'Collectanea Antiqua', 1857, Literary Gazette (5 September), 850.
'Collectanea Antiqua, Etchings and Notices of Ancient Remains, illustrative of the Habits, Customs, and History of Past Ages', 1852, The Athenaeum (10 July), 745–46.
'Collectanea Antiqua. No.1. Etchings of Ancient Remains, illustrative of the Habits, Customs, and History of Past Ages', 1843, Gentleman's Magazine (August), 175–76.
'Collectanea Antiqua. Vol. II. Part I.', 1849, Literary Gazette (8 September), 656.
'A Descriptive Catalogue of the Antiquities found in the excavations at the new Royal Exchange, preserved in the Museum of the Corporation of London', 1850. The Gentleman's Magazine (December), 637–38.
'Do the Citizens Regard their Antiquities?', 1845, The Builder 3 (6 December), 582–83.
'Eburacum, or York under the Romans', 1845. Archaeological Journal 2, 412–17.
'A History of the Romans under the Empire', 1858 The Athenaeum (22 May), 649–50.
'Illustrations of Roman London', 1860. British Quarterly Review 31 (Jan), 270–4.
'Inventorium Sepulchrale', 1856a, The Builder 14 (6 September), 491.
'Inventorium Sepulchrale', 1856b, Literary Gazette (16 August), 581–82.
'Mr. Roach Smith's Museum of London Antiquities', 1854, Gentleman's Magazine (August), 116–20.
'Mr. Tite vs Mr. Roach Smith', 1845a, The Builder 3 (20 December), 612.
'Mr. Tite vs Mr. Roach Smith', 1845b, The Builder 3 (27 December), 621.
'Obituary', 1890, The Builder 59 (9 August), 112–13.
'Our Weekly Gossip', 1845, The Athenaeum (1 March), 221–22.
'The Preservation of our Architectural Antiquities', 1848, The Builder 6 (4 November), 533.
'Reliquiae Isurianae', 1852, Gentleman's Magazine (September), 280–81.
'Report on Excavations made on the Site of the Roman Castrum at Lymne, Kent, in 1850', 1852a, The Builder 10 (7 August), 506.
'Report on Excavations made on the Site of the Roman Castrum, at Lymne, in Kent, in 1850', 1852b, The Athenaeum (14 August), 864–65.
'Report on Excavations made on the Site of the Roman Castrum at Lymne, in Kent, in 1850', 1853, Archaeologia Cambrensis 4 (April), 160.
'The Roman Wall', 1851a, Archaeological Journal 8, 104–11.
'The Roman Wall', 1851b, The Athenaeum (1 March), 241–2.
'The Roman Wall', 1851c, Gentleman's Magazine (February), 147–54.
'The Royal Institute of British Architects', 1845, The Builder 3 (22 November), 558.
'Saturday 26 May', 1849, The Builder 7, 241.
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