Prehistory in Peril: The Worst and Best of Durango Archaeology, by Florence C. Lister, 1997, University Press of Colorado

The history of archaeology in the United States (and elsewhere) isfraught with examples of real and imag­ined conflicts of interest between academics,professionals and government officials on the one hand and their local counterparts ofamateur archaeologists, newspaper reporters, artifact speculators and just inter­estedcitizens. Florence Lister has reconstructed the story (still ongoing by the way of theinterplay of opposing schools of thought as it involved archaeology in the Durango,Colorado, vicinity). Given a subject beset with emotions. acquisitions.misrepresentations, rumors, name calling, mistrust, and occasionally, cooperationbetween the parties involved, the author has presented the fascinating history ofDurango archaeology in a documented, readable and unbiased book that derives much of itsvalue by calling forth archival material that has until now been unavailable or hasexisted as nebulous oral tradition