HUMAN settlement across Yorkshire has been brought to life with the launch of a book tipped to be a bestseller among archaeologists.

The Yorkshire Archaeological Society announced on Saturday the publication of the most comprehensive review of human settlement across the region ever produced.

The Archaeology of Yorkshire: An assessment at the beginning of the 21st Century studies the first settlement of the county by people in the Upper Paleolithic period right down to the Industrial Revolution.

Twenty-five scholars, all experts in the field, have contributed to the volume, which aims to establish an archaeological research framework for the region.

Editor Stephen Moorhouse said it will be "the foundation for the development of archaeology and historical landscape research in the 21st Century".

In the book, Mr Moorhouse analyses rural landscapes, focusing strongly on the medieval landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales.

The book, sponsored by English Heritage and a number of archaeological associations, was launched by pre-historian Professor Richard Bradley at a one-day conference on Saturday.

The book can be obtained from the Yorkshire Archaeology Society, Claremont, 23 Claremont Road, Leeds, LS2 9NZ priced at £20 plus £6 postage and packaging.