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Author Revealed

Mike Parker Pearson

Mike Parker Pearson

Mike Parker Pearson is a Professor of Archaeology at Sheffield University. He is an internationally renowned expert in the archaeology of death and also specialises in the later prehistory of Britain and Northern Europe and the archaeology of... Read full bio

Author Revealed:
Q. What is your motto or maxim?
A. Life's not fair - get over it
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Mike Parker Pearson Revealed
About Mike Parker Pearson
  • What is your birthdate?:
    6/26
  • Previous occupations:
    Archaeologist, archaeologist, archaeologist
  • Favorite job:
    That would be ... archaeologist
  • High school and/or college:
    Taunton, Southampton, Cambridge
  • Name of your favorite composer or music artist?:
    Bob Dylan
  • Favorite movie:
    Doctor Zhivago
  • Favorite television show:
    Frasier
Revealing Questions
Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
A. Hectic, fun, stressful, eventful, rewarding, tense, surprising, mobile
Q. What is your motto or maxim?
A. Life's not fair - get over it
Q. How would you describe perfect happiness?
A. Being on an archaeological dig in Wessex with a Wadworths pub just down the road.
Q. What’s your greatest fear?
A. Frogs (seriously)
Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
A. At home with my cat
Q. With whom in history do you most identify?
A. The 99% whose names we don't know
Q. Which living person do you most admire?
A. My wife
Q. What are your most overused words or phrases?
A. Oh dear oh dear oh dear
Q. What do you regret most?
A. I don't really regret anything important
Q. If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
A. Musical genius
Q. What is your greatest achievement?
A. See question 8
Q. What’s your greatest flaw?
A. Indecision
Q. What’s your best quality?
A. Enthusiasm
Q. If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be?
A. A bristlecone pine
Q. What trait is most noticeable about you?
A. Beard and broken nose, probably
Q. Who is your favorite fictional hero?
A. Indiana Jones, of course
Q. Who is your favorite fictional villain?
A. Dick Dastardly
Q. If you could meet any historical character, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?
A. The builder of Stonehenge: why'd you do it, then?
Q. What is your biggest pet peeve?
A. Answering emails
Q. What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
A. Watching telly with the cat
Q. What’s your fantasy profession?
A. Archaeologist with no funding problems
Q. What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?
A. Honesty; Hard work; Humour
Q. If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
A. Kallas Kaviar
Q. What are your 5 favorite songs?
A. Come up and see me (make me smile); Tangled up in blue; Driftwood; Another girl, another planet; What's the meaning of Stonehenge
On Books and Writing
Q. Who are your favorite authors?
A. Richard Bradley, William Boyd, Jonathan Coe, Richard Dawkins, Stephen J. Gould, Colin Bateman, Marina Lewycka
Q. What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
A. Fun With Archaeology (which I read as a little boy), Robert Drury's Journal (supposedly by Daniel Defoe, but it's not ...), Symbols in Action (archaeological theory), Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers comics (I hope they count), and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Q. Is there a book you love to reread?
A. Durrington Walls excavation report by Geoff Wainwright
Q. Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
A. Just get on with it.
Q. What comment do you hear most often from your readers?
A. Is this going to be in the exam?