I really wish I knew—might go to the local giant bookstore sometime and see if I can compare what's on the shelves.
Some recommendations on ancient history books, focused on the Aegean sphere, that is, essentially, Minoans and Mycenaeans, a subject that is one of my favourites.
preziosi, Donald & a. hitchcock, Louise. Aegean Art and Architecture, by Oxford University Press (1999). What the title says: a precise, beautifully edited and condensed book on Aegean art, architecture and urbanism, from Neolithic to the Mycenaean domination and the bronze Age collapse. In my opinion a very good book for those who want to get introduced into that world and knowledge, but also for scholars and researchers. Lots of images, in black-and-white or colour.
dickinson, Oliver. The Aegean Bronze Age, by Cambridge World Archaeology (1994). Again, what the title says. Unlike the preceding one this is denser and full of text, with some maps and images. Very interesting if you're into ancient history and archaeology, and a must read if your area of study/work is the Aegean world and eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age. It can be considered one of the Bibles of such area of study.
castleden, Rodney. Minoans. Live in Bronze Age Crete, by Routledge (1993). Perhaps one the best introductions to the world of Minoan Crete for a wide audience, but also pretty good for researchers. Despite not knowing much about that civilization the book covers things like the people (social structures, dress, war...), live in the countryside (food production, rural shrines...), in towns (urbanism, crafts...) and in the coastline (ports, fishing, ships, the Minoan trade empire), religion (peak and cave sanctuaries, temples, burials...). It has a few images, all in black-ad-white, at least in the edition I have (2005).
castleden, Rodney. Mycenaeans, by Routledge (2005). The best companion to the preceding book, by the same author. The title says it all, covering more or less the same themes distributed into similar chapters (the people, live in the countryside, live in towns, religion, etc.); with final chapters devoted to the Trojan War, the fall of Mycenae and the Mycenaean inheritance.
And for sybarites...
laffineur, Robert (editor). Polemos. Les contexte guerrier en Égée à l'Âge du Bronze. Actes de la 7e Rencontre égéenne internationale. Université de Liège, 14-17 avril 1998 (I and II), by Université de Liège (1999). Separated into two volumes this work deals with war and the warrior world in the Bronze Age Aegean world. Organized into different chapters, each with various acts, speeches and discussions in French, Italian or English. A very dense work for scholars and academic researchers. With some black-and-white illustrations, photos and maps, and bibliography.
preziosi, Donald & a. hitchcock, Louise. Aegean Art and Architecture, by Oxford University Press (1999). What the title says: a precise, beautifully edited and condensed book on Aegean art, architecture and urbanism, from Neolithic to the Mycenaean domination and the bronze Age collapse. In my opinion a very good book for those who want to get introduced into that world and knowledge, but also for scholars and researchers. Lots of images, in black-and-white or colour.
dickinson, Oliver. The Aegean Bronze Age, by Cambridge World Archaeology (1994). Again, what the title says. Unlike the preceding one this is denser and full of text, with some maps and images. Very interesting if you're into ancient history and archaeology, and a must read if your area of study/work is the Aegean world and eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age. It can be considered one of the Bibles of such area of study.
castleden, Rodney. Minoans. Live in Bronze Age Crete, by Routledge (1993). Perhaps one the best introductions to the world of Minoan Crete for a wide audience, but also pretty good for researchers. Despite not knowing much about that civilization the book covers things like the people (social structures, dress, war...), live in the countryside (food production, rural shrines...), in towns (urbanism, crafts...) and in the coastline (ports, fishing, ships, the Minoan trade empire), religion (peak and cave sanctuaries, temples, burials...). It has a few images, all in black-ad-white, at least in the edition I have (2005).
castleden, Rodney. Mycenaeans, by Routledge (2005). The best companion to the preceding book, by the same author. The title says it all, covering more or less the same themes distributed into similar chapters (the people, live in the countryside, live in towns, religion, etc.); with final chapters devoted to the Trojan War, the fall of Mycenae and the Mycenaean inheritance.
And for sybarites...
laffineur, Robert (editor). Polemos. Les contexte guerrier en Égée à l'Âge du Bronze. Actes de la 7e Rencontre égéenne internationale. Université de Liège, 14-17 avril 1998 (I and II), by Université de Liège (1999). Separated into two volumes this work deals with war and the warrior world in the Bronze Age Aegean world. Organized into different chapters, each with various acts, speeches and discussions in French, Italian or English. A very dense work for scholars and academic researchers. With some black-and-white illustrations, photos and maps, and bibliography.
mithen, Steven. After the Ice. A Global Human History. 20,000–5,000 BC, by Phoenix (2004). ISBN: 978-0-7538-1392-8. An amazing and outstanding work on humankind's history throughout 15,000 years of its past history, a time of global warming that experienced many changes that shaped the world as we know it today. The book is presented as an imaginary journey through all these years, visiting different places all over the world, during which we learn how archaeology has evolved since its early days and how our vision of prehistory and early Neolithic has radically changed since then. The work is dense and it progresses chronologically, but the chapters are grouped into geographic sections (the Western Asia, Africa, Americas...), so we can choose to read the desired chapters only, or the whole book from beginning to end.
The provided scientific and objective information is accompanied by recreations of the landscape, the weather changes or the human life and customs for every time and area, although some human scenes should be taken with caution since they're too speculative and clearly fictive. But that kind of speculation is welcome if the reader is intelligent enough as to separate the wheat from the chaff and use these fictional recreations to make the proper questions and take more advantage from the book than previously thought.
The provided scientific and objective information is accompanied by recreations of the landscape, the weather changes or the human life and customs for every time and area, although some human scenes should be taken with caution since they're too speculative and clearly fictive. But that kind of speculation is welcome if the reader is intelligent enough as to separate the wheat from the chaff and use these fictional recreations to make the proper questions and take more advantage from the book than previously thought.