A History of the Ancient Southwest
This...is a magnificent summary of what we know about our prehistory. Each two-part chapter...tries to describe both the key players, i.e., archaeological interpreters, past and present and the cultures they interpret and/or argue about. Lekson does not hesitate to name names when analyzing views he sees as sometimes intentionally wrong-headed and, as you might imagine, he has some strong opinions about what is good in the field as well as what is bad. --Southwest Books of the Year Best Reading 2010Stephen Lekson is a gifted and passionate writer and speaker. The breadth of his knowledge...is remarkable, and the result is that he can posit relationships that many of us would never perceive, provocative relationships that lead us to ask new questions.... History [of the Ancient Southwest] includes many such ideas...and will continue to be widely read. --Stephen Plog, American Antiquity, 2011In Southwestern archaeology, a mind like Steve Lekson's comes along once in a generation. This is his magnum opus -- a highwire act that strings hundreds of bold ideas into a dazzling new synthesis. --David RobertsLekson does not mince words or wit as he demonstrates an extraordinary command of anthropological, historical, philosophical and, of course, archaeological literature.  This book is a groundbreaking study of the sort that comes along too seldom.  ... This book matters. -- Stephen L. Black, Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Spring 2011