Got myself a new Book....

[Flyjunkie]

Well, with Xmas coming later this Month, I decided to get myself a Gift.. I had told my Sisters and their families plus my Mother not to get me anything.. because Money is tight this year and Their Children/Grand Children & Great Grand children deserve to receive Gifts.. I am fine without getting anything. I actually Love Christmas because the Kids get gifts and they really enjoy opening them and receiving them.. I love that about Christmas...

Anywho.. I decided I'd purchase myself a Book that's been on my "Gotta get" list for sometime, I had some extra "Fluff/Float Money" and went ahead & ordered it..

"Early Hunter-Gatherers of the California Coast' by Jon M. Erlandson

This tome is full of Information about the Cultures located along the Santa Barbara Channel. The Author actually did a big surface survey and a number of excavations in the region for a Chevron Oil survey of the area, prior to Chevron building an Oil processing station in the area.
Erlandson provides chapters on 5 sites in the area, covering the locations, geology, biology & of course Archaeology of each site.
Erlandson did focus a good amount of Energy on the numerous Shell Middens and how Earlier Archaeologists developed the Wrong idea from the Shell Middens that the Early Marine Cultures ate mostly Shellfish, based on the Large quantities of Shells.. He provides data regarding the Nutritional intake from each Shellfish vs. the Labor effort to collect and process the shellfish... coming away with the view that while Shellfish where part of the People's Diet, it was not the Only Food source, nor even the Main source...
Erlandson also provides an overview for the Channel area of it's history, plus extends the Overview up the Central Coast and up into the Northern Coast area, providing information from excavations in each region to support the overview.
While the Book is mainly focused on the Santa Barbara Channel , there is plenty of useful information for the Central & Northern Coast areas of California. there is one chapter that covers the Geological & Biological factors that made a Location prime for a Village, and this information will prove useful anywhere along the California Coast..

I paid a rather high amount of $$$ for the Book, but this Tome is highly educational and useful so it's Money well spent.....

[PacificNorthWest-Relics]

Congrats Fly...

I too have a book wish list. Over the years the list has steadly grown smaller, but it has become increasingly more difficult to check-off those that remain on the list - David

[erb]

Thanks for the review Dean. I have one of his books that is also very informative. Check it out if you can.

" Hunter-Gatherers of Early Holocene Coastal California (Perspectives in California Archaeology) "