In the Beginning: An Introduction to Archaeology

The 12th edition of "In the Beginning" costs $118 at the University of Hawaii Bookstore. Not only did I not have a spare $118 but I also resisted the idea of forking over that amount of money for a book, just a normal book, not a medical textbook or anything extraordinary. For $5, I got the 11th edition of "In the Beginning" copyright 2005. The copy I received is in very good shape and is quite sufficient for getting me through my Archaeology class (Anthropology 210) at University of Hawaii at Manoa. Thanks, - Ann

Once again, I was really satisfied with this book. It came quickly and in great shape, just as it was described.

I am currently using this book as the text for a course entitled "Introduction to Archaeological Methods and Theory." I find this book to be very informative, and it adds detail to my prof's lectures quite well. It covers a broad range of topics within archaeology, without assuming that the reader knows nothing. It appears to be written with the understanding that the student will have at least a rudimentary knowledge of some of the topics presented. The only downside is that in order to do the review questions for each topic, you must access the website. All in all, am excellent book!

...It's pretty good so far. (I skip around.) Definitely basic, but a great introduction to archaeological method and history. Lots of good pictures (black and white but still good), some good charts and graphs, nice basic overview of known human cultural history, informative asides on major discoveries, new edition includes very recent discoveries and information. The writing style is clear and not overly simplistic. And the cover is beyond cool for a textbook.