American Flintknappers: Stone Age Art in the Age of Computers

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Summary: American Flintknappers
Review: John C. Whittaker never fails to capture the essence of scientifically studying modern day flint-knapping. This new book is a progression from his 1994 work on how to make stone tools. It is a leap forward in a fascinating area of archaeology and anthropology, especially when there is a growing concern for the depletion of silicate resources. Dr. Whittaker is a pure scientist who is always thinking of how stone tools can be scientifically studied, and is always innovative in his research approach, rendering his work successful and resourceful. It is also nice to see that Dr. Michael Stafford is well represented, a master flint-knapper whom I've had an opportunity to study under. Dr. Whittaker also has in his new book, raw demographic data from sociological surveys, continuing a tradition that he and Dr. Stafford started in 1998 with their research on Fakes. This sociological approach reveals a great deal of important data for student researchers, and should not be overlooked when writing on the subject of stone tools. This book has wonderful color pages in its' center and shows an amazing variety of raw materials commonly used by knappers. John C. Whittaker is fast becoming the leading professor on this subject, and deserves all the attention he receives. Great work John!