Tin in Antiquity is the first comprehensive history of the early metallurgy of tin, a mine of information on this rare, highly prized metal so vital to the developing civilization of the Bronze Age. The origins of tin have always been a mystery, but the author has unearthed archaeological evidence from all over the world to trace the tinfields used before the discovery of European deposits. He takes us on a fascinating voyage of discovery through the Ancient World, delving into mythology, and enlivening his scholarly text with quotations from the Classics and humorous anecdotes. As his name suggests, Roger Penhallurick's roots are deep in Cornwall - formerly the world's largest tin producer, and still the greatest in Europe. So it is fitting that the Cornish section comprises almost half the book, for the first time collecting together all the evidence for tin streaming between 2000 BC and AD 1000. All surviving artifacts recovered from the tin workings are illustrated and put in their archaeological context. The book is lavishly illustrated throughout, including many rare old photos, and has a full bibliography of the wealth of sources that have contributed to this work.

Dr Jonathan Couch (1789-1870) of Polperro was Cornwall's foremost naturalist in the 19th century, whose importance has been likened to Gilbert White. This work draws on the Royal Institution of Cornwall's extensive collection of his material, in particular his hitherto unpublished study of Cornish birds begun in 1829 and his "Journal of Natural History" of which ten of its 12 volumes had been lost for over a century. Roger Penhallurick has also added material from other contemporary sources. His book includes a short biography of Couch and notes of his local contacts and those of national importance such as Thomas Bewick and William Yarrell, both of whom corresponded with Couch. Illustrations include engravings highlighting the difficulty of identification encountered by early naturalists at a time when ornithology was in its infancy; seasonal and sexual differences were not fully appreciated, nor were different species always identifiable from the black and white illustrations then available.