There’s more to Boston’s rich history than Paul Revere, John Adams, and the Boston Massacre — and city archeologist Joseph Bagley wants to help the public to dig deeper.

Bagley, with the blessing of city officials, announced the release of his book, “A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts,’’ which uses images of excavated relics and essays about them to explore Boston’s storied past through a new lens.

He wants to direct people’s attention away from the well-known people and events that shaped the city and shift it toward the everyday people and places that once made Boston tick.

“I think that people are not bored with the history of Boston, but they see the same stories over and over again. Even if you’re not a big history buff, this [book] is an interesting way of looking at a different history of Boston,’’ Bagley said. “It’s more of a people’s history.’’

The book’s official release date is April 12, but it can be ordered in advance online.

It includes images of items such as a Neville Point, a tool used by Native Americans between 7,500 and 5,500 years ago and found buried on Boston Common; a Massachusett Native American weaving from 1454, discovered at an excavation site downtown; and the full skeleton of a cat found in a bowl buried in a pit beneath an old tavern’s threshold in Charlestown.

The cat’s burial beneath the building is said to have been a superstitious practice to ward off vermin and evil spirits, Bagley said. The tavern burned to the ground in 1775, during the Battle of Bunker Hill.

The cat “was left untouched until the Big Dig came along,’’ he said.

Other items featured in the book include a comb found in a late 19th century privy at the Paul Revere House; a 1970 “peep-show token’’ used in Boston’s now-defunct “Combat Zone’’; and a “whizzer’’ — a lead toy with two holes made from a flattened musket ball that made a “whizzing’’ sound when spun — from 1742.

“Artifacts in the book include anything you could possibly imagine,’’ Bagley said. “This is the first time the story of Boston is being told through stuff.’’

Bagley said he was personally responsible for discovering or identifying some of the items featured in the book, including a sample of Mattapan banded ryolite, which is a type of rock; a Native American arrowhead, made from a piece of copper that was traded by the early European explorers; and a tube of lipstick from 1940 found behind Old North Church.

“It still had the pink lipstick in the container,’’ Bagley said.

The artifacts, part of the collection of the city’s archeological department, were discovered during surveys in the last few decades.

“Most of the stuff came out of the ground before I started,’’ he said. “But we have 40 years’ worth of archeological digs that the city has done, and I have gone back through the collections in the lab to make some highlights.’’

Bagley won’t be collecting the money earned from book sales, he said. Instead, it will be redirected to the archeological department so that additional excavations can take place all around Boston, and more history can be revealed.

Bagley has been heading a series of recent searches at several city spots rich with tales to tell.

In June, Bagley was in charge of a dig at the former site of the 17th-century Boston Latin School and its schoolmaster’s house.

A month later, he led students in digging up items buried beneath the soil of Dorchester, at the site of the Industrial School for Girls.

Bagley wants to continue on that trajectory. Will he write a sequel to his book? Only time will tell.

“I want people to learn about this and know archeology is happening in Boston. But it’s also a way to fund this program so we can share it with the public,’’ he said.

Steve Annear can be reached at steve.annear@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @steveannear.