A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts

by Joseph M. Bagley

A new edition of a bestselling book looking at the history of Boston through fifty artifacts.
 
Joseph M. Bagley, the city archaeologist of Boston, uncovers a fascinating hodgepodge of history—from ancient fishing grounds to Jazz Age red-light districts—that will surprise and delight even longtime residents. Each artifact is shown in full color with a description of the item’s significance to its site location and Boston’s larger history. From cannonballs to drinking cups and from ancient spears to chinaware, A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts offers a unique and accessible introduction to Boston’s history and physical culture while revealing the ways objects can offer a tantalizing entrée into our past. Packed with vivid descriptions and art, this lively history of Boston will appeal to all manner of readers, locals, and visitors alike. This new edition showcases an important fact which has come to light since its first publication, that a chapter about a cat has now been shown to be a dog, thus demonstrating the perils of the archaeologist.
 

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Archaeology, American History

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2016

Reviews

[Cindy Mundy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read overall and I highly recommend it, especially to New Englanders. Our connection to history is so often shaped by what's left standing - Paul Revere's house, or the Old North Church, or the Old Granary Burying Ground - that we forget what's been lost and buried. I learned a lot about both the history of the city and the region, and the challenges of doing archaeology here, particularly because the soil conditions are so unfavorable to preserving many types of artifacts.

I will echo what another reviewer said: this book would have benefited from a stronger editor, both in terms of sharpening some of the storytelling and catching some minor glitches along the way. But it's still a fun read, and Bagley's passion for local archaeology really shines.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* Really interesting way to provide an introduction to Boston's substantial history (It's not all about the Revolutionary War and rich, white guys!)

Needed another round of editing though, lots of dropped/missing words and internally repetitive sentences ("This movement toward increased marketing of product design was the beginning of the modern marketing movement.")

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gem of a book. Quick and engaging with lots of interesting facts, photos, and insights about history and archeology. The shoddy editing was a distraction, though.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun approach to learning the history of a city, through 50 objects discovered in Boston-area archaeological digs. I learned some really interesting things: there was a giant fish weir maintained by Native Americans in Back Bay for over a thousand years! Charlestown used to be home a thriving pottery industry! Massachusetts briefly minted its own coins! Etc. It’s also nice that proceeds from this book’s sale go to support the Boston City Archaeology Program. Definitely worth a read.

[sydney erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

lowkey fire. required reading for class but i learned lots

[Charlie Newfell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and well written book of 50 simple items that tell the history of Boston. Recommended!

[Brad McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always found American history enthralling. As I've grown older, the thrall has only strengthened as the nuances of historical events that were taught to be straightforward have revealed themselves to be serpentine. While this book is about 50 artifacts, Mr. Bagley uses the artifacts as a frame to to hang a picture of Boston from its early European settlements to the height of The Combat Zone's influence.

I thought it well written and while I could do with less descriptions of pottery shards and discussions of pre-revolutionary privies, his explanations of the importance of such things to not just archeologist but also anyone interested in history made me more accepting of them. This is a good read and, I may go so far as to say, a must read for anyone interested in American history in general or the history of Boston in particular.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that is more about archaeology than Boston - I would recommend this more for those interested in that profession than those looking to read a straight forward history of Boston.

A lot of objects in this book came from the Big Dig at just a few key sites where items just happened to survive the turmoil of time, which just goes to show how random it can be what objects we have today to look back on the past.

I enjoyed that Bagley made a concentrated effort to explore the lives of others besides just white guys, so, good for him, even though, again, this was a book by an archaeologist for archaeologists.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book would be good but it exceeded my expectations. It turned out to be a really fascinating look at Boston. Bagley does a good job of tying in the history of the object to the broader history of Boston. And he provides a wide range of artifacts that are unexpected and not the same-old history story. Definitely a fun look at Boston history that has you hoping he will write another book.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read about archeological finds in Boston written by the town archeologist. Not all the artifacts were as interesting, but I particularly liked the items found in a well-to-do family’s toilet and the more recent artifacts (syringes from a brothel, lipstick from the 40s, pin from an early Red Sox game).

[Bob Schueler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting and fast read (short, with lots of pictures) that has some interesting historical information. Though the artifacts themselves are underwhelming, they do trigger some interesting stories of life in colonial and early Boston that were interesting enough to keep me reading. People interested in these sorts of artifacts might be more fascinated than I was.

[Jenn Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved. All different aspects of Boston's history through various artifacts - told by the #1 most qualified person, our city archaeologist. Especially enjoyed the way that reinterpretation was addressed head on. Sometimes when an object is discovered, we might think it is one thing, only to find evidence later on that it's something else entirely!

[Nin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dryer than I hoped for.

[Ryn Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personable and informative. I feel more connected to Boston's landscape than I had previously.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great full color glossy photos! Would make a great gift for a lover of Boston history.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book highlighting the stories hidden right underneath our feet.

[Erika Shira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and quick read.

Taking a star off for editorial choice not to capitalize "Black" throughout.

[Millie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can something be lightly in depth? Sure, 'cause this is. The history of Boston and the history of archaeology in Boston interspersed, with pictures! High quality photos of unburied artifacts. What's not to like? Makes me want to go dig everywhere and/or break out my metal detector. Good stuff.

[Amy Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

History in my favorite way: decoding it through everyday objects that give us insights to how people lived, especially those unrecorded in history. The book starts with a fascinating look into Native American artifacts (Back Bay used to be a major fishing area; we have pieces of fishweirs from 6000 years ago) and then moves through pre-Revolutionary war times to the huge changes brought by immigrants in the 19th centuries. One of my favorite finds were the lace, clothing and children's toys found in a privy in the North End from the end of the 17th century. I was also fascinated to hear about the finds associated with the African Meeting House in Beacon Hill. Dishes and outhouse residues there show African Americans were able to create wealth and good health for themselves despite all the racist practices they had to live with.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed reading this book, and learning more not just about each artifact featured, but about the related time period and other artifacts. As someone who is a fan of local history, I learned so much that I did not know previously.

The one thing that was distracting was how poorly edited the book was; I can easily look over one or two mistakes, but it was glaring how many printing errors there were. At one point, the book refers to a series of artifacts all being from the same place, mentioning their numbers, and the numbers are incorrect. I hope this will be all corrected in a future printing.

[Valentina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick summary of Boston history through five major time periods. Interesting, but too commonly relied on conjecture: "one can imagine that X belonged to Y." Could have been longer, or narrower in scope to be more engaging. Worth reading for those interested in Boston, early American history, archeology, or commodity history.

[Carol Lerch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

The book provides a good overview of periods in the history of Boston, some of which was new to me.