Nobody, however, knew the identity of the photographer. I was able to tell them that the pictures had been taken by my cousin, Rory Lomax, who had been killed in 1947, when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a lorry.
As I was leaving, another of the archaeologists said that they had been sifting through the original spoil heaps when they had found something they thought might belong to me. He went away and came back carrying an old shoebox. Inside was a rusted piece of metal with what appeared to be four wheels attached, one at each corner. Only after I had removed it from the box did I realize what it was: a single steel roller-skate. It sits on my desk now as I write this.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
This novel is based on events that took place at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk in the summer of 1939. Certain changes have been made for dramatic effect. I would like to thank the following people for their help: Robert Erskine, Ray Sutcliffe, Angela Care Evans, Rosalind Cattanach, Peter Geekie, Sue Annear and Jane Eldridge. I’m especially grateful to Martin Carver, Professor of Archaeology at the University of York and Director of Research at Sutton Hoo, for taking the time to read the manuscript. Any mistakes, of course, are entirely my own.
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Copyright
Copyright © John Preston, 2007
First published in the United Kingdom by Viking in 2007
Production editor: Yvonne E. Cárdenas
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from Other Press LLC, except in the case of brief quotations in reviews for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast. For information write to Other Press LLC, 267 Fifth Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016. Or visit our Web site: www.otherpress.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Names: Preston, John, 1953- author.
Title: The dig / John Preston.
Description: New York : Other Press, [2016] | © 2007
Identifiers: LCCN 2015039129| ISBN 9781590517802 (softcover : acid-free paper) | ISBN 978-1-59051-781-9 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Excavations (Archaeology)—England—East Anglia—Fiction. | Landowners—England—East Anglia–Fiction. | Widows—England—East Anglia—Fiction. | Sutton Hoo Ship Burial (England)—Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Historical. | FICTION / Literary. | FICTION / Biographical. | GSAFD: Biographical fiction. | Historical fiction.
Classification: LCC PR6066.R43 D54 2016 | DDC 823/.914—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015039129
Publisher’s Note:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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