  We have reconstructed the sunspot group count, not by comparisons with other
reconstructions and correcting those where they were deemed to be deficient,
but by a re-assessment of original sources. The resulting series is a pure
solar index and does not rely on input from other proxies, e.g. radionuclides,
auroral sightings, or geomagnetic records. 'Backboning' the data sets, our
chosen method, provides substance and rigidity by using long-time observers as
a stiffness character. Solar activity, as defined by the Group Number, appears
to reach and sustain for extended intervals of time the same level in each of
the last three centuries since 1700 and the past several decades do not seem to
have been exceptionally active, contrary to what is often claimed.
