A children's guide to Stonehenge issued by English Heritage has been withdrawn after it was pilloried in a national archaeology magazine for being littered with errors. British Archaeology magazine highlighted the mistakes peppering the pages of The Ghastly Book of Stonehenge and English Heritage has been forced to recall and pulp 4,500 copies of the book. The article said: "The guide is so dreadful, I began to wonder if the 'warning' – "do not read this book if you are easily shocked or if you've just eaten dinner!" – was aimed at reviewers. A full corrective would be longer than the book."
     A spokesman from English Heritage said an incorrect proof had gone to print by mistake. She said: "The Ghastly Series was conceived in 2005 as part of a wider strategy to improve family learning at our sites. However, over the last couple of years, publishing at English Heritage has undergone quite a radical rethink and we are unlikely to be printing books such as these again. We will instead focus on providing free, downloadable resources to support teachers and families visiting our sites. We have also completely reviewed our editorial procedures to ensure that such a mistake doesn't happen again."

Source: This is Wiltshire (21 October 2008)