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Rating: 
Summary: Thorough but dry
Review: Although the subject matter of this book is very exciting, this is not (as the blurb text has it) a "vivid picture of early marine mammal hunters". Instead it is a fairly dry survey of archeological sites relevant for the first peopling of North-America, with lots and lots of attention paid to stone projectile points. Certainly, the book is sound and thorough, but it only becomes really interesting in the last 12 pages or so, where we finally get the promised "revolutionary archeological synthesis". Dixon argues that the first inhabitants of the Americas where not - as orthodox archeology has it - big game hunters who came across the Bering land bridge but people dependent on a marine economy, who navigated along the coast (probably as early as 13,500 BP) and from there on gradually and at different times moved landinward along river courses. Unfortunately the book stops there. Still, if you are looking for a thorough outline of current archeoligical research in the subject matter at hand plus a tentative new insight, this book is allright.
Rating:
Summary: Thorough but dry
Review: Although the subject matter of this book is very exciting, this is not (as the blurb text has it) a "vivid picture of early marine mammal hunters". Instead it is a fairly dry survey of archeological sites relevant for the first peopling of North-America, with lots and lots of attention paid to stone projectile points. Certainly, the book is sound and thorough, but it only becomes really interesting in the last 12 pages or so, where we finally get the promised "revolutionary archeological synthesis". Dixon argues that the first inhabitants of the Americas where not - as orthodox archeology has it - big game hunters who came across the Bering land bridge but people dependent on a marine economy, who navigated along the coast (probably as early as 13,500 BP) and from there on gradually and at different times moved landinward along river courses. Unfortunately the book stops there. Still, if you are looking for a thorough outline of current archeoligical research in the subject matter at hand plus a tentative new insight, this book is allright.
Rating: 
Summary: Boans, Boats and Bison Review
Review: Bones, Boats and Bison provides an excellent overview of current thinking about the peopling and occupation of western North America to ca. 8,000 years ago. The book synthesizes a broad array of literature, making it a valuable resource for professional archaeologists. However, the book's greatest strength may be its accessible writing style. Avocational archaeologists, interested members of the public, and students will find this text both highly informative and refreshingly judicious in its use of jargon. The book would make a good text for a "Peopling of the New World" or "Paleoindian Archaeology" course, and it could also be profitably excerpted for various regional archaeology classes (e.g. "Plains Archaeology" or "Alaskan Archaeology.")Nine of Dixon's ten chapters are straightforward data-oriented chapters on key "peopling" topics and regional Paleoindian prehistory. These data are important, and synthetic texts like this one are helpful to those unable to keep up with the ever-expanding "peopling" literature. In Dixon's final chapter, he presents his model for the peopling of the New World (ca. 13,500 years ago and via watercraft). Certainly some will disagree with Dixon's interpretation, but (a) Dixon is careful to point out that his interpretations are speculative, and (b) after painstakingly outlining the data in the preceding chapters, Dixon earns the right to propose whatever model he likes.
Rating:
Summary: Boans, Boats and Bison Review
Review: Bones, Boats and Bison provides an excellent overview of current thinking about the peopling and occupation of western North America to ca. 8,000 years ago. The book synthesizes a broad array of literature, making it a valuable resource for professional archaeologists. However, the book's greatest strength may be its accessible writing style. Avocational archaeologists, interested members of the public, and students will find this text both highly informative and refreshingly judicious in its use of jargon. The book would make a good text for a "Peopling of the New World" or "Paleoindian Archaeology" course, and it could also be profitably excerpted for various regional archaeology classes (e.g. "Plains Archaeology" or "Alaskan Archaeology.") Nine of Dixon's ten chapters are straightforward data-oriented chapters on key "peopling" topics and regional Paleoindian prehistory. These data are important, and synthetic texts like this one are helpful to those unable to keep up with the ever-expanding "peopling" literature. In Dixon's final chapter, he presents his model for the peopling of the New World (ca. 13,500 years ago and via watercraft). Certainly some will disagree with Dixon's interpretation, but (a) Dixon is careful to point out that his interpretations are speculative, and (b) after painstakingly outlining the data in the preceding chapters, Dixon earns the right to propose whatever model he likes.
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