Neither Plain nor Simple: New Perspectives on the Canterbury Shakers
"In Neither Plain or Simple, historical archaeologist David Starbuck presents his life's work and gives us an alternative view of the Shakers.  After 25 years of excavating at Canterbury Shaker Village, Starbuck's systematic mapping and inventory program for the entire settlement provide a new, welcome, completely different, and creative interpretation of the Shakes.  For this work, he deserves a prize."—Journal of Field Archaeology"An outstanding example of New Hampshire archeology at its best is this book by David R. Starbuck."—Milford (NH) Cabinet“Starbuck's work . . . is extensive, thorough, and covers America at our least understandable edge.”—Journal of Field Archaeology"Because the Shakers were a religious group that believed in communal living and celibacy, and because the group was founded in the 18th century, many people have assumed that they were cloistered, rigid or austere . . . But what Starbuck has found suggests that, while they adhered to their principles, their principles may have been different than what most people have commonly believed."—Valley News (also ran in Concord Monitor)