“I had to include at least one book here that I worked on, and though it was not an easy decision I think this title is the best choice. I worked closely with the three editors, who are wonderful, throughout the process, and I am very proud of the result, as they should of course be as well. The book is just coming out now, and provides a much-needed overview of the current state of research into these projectile points, perhaps the most robust line of evidence we have into the earliest human occupants of this continent. The editors did an excellent job both in their own research on the topic as well as bringing together an impressive list of contributors, all well-established and highly trusted experts on these lithic technologies. The book is beautifully put together, and I expect that it will garner a lot of positive attention from a wide range of scholars.”

“I like this book for several reasons. First, it provides an intellectual history of the study of archaeology in the Southwest without being dry as a bone. The second point builds on the first: Lekson successfully injects his own voice into the writing, inserting his thoughts and opinions amid an accurate retelling of the past and making for a more vibrant read that also captures some of the more human details often left out of a work like this one. Third, while it is not a book for everyone (and to be fair, no book is for everyone), it brings the information in front of a new audience that otherwise might not engage at all. And fourth, while some may take exception to the style or some of the assertions, any controversy around those matters is positive, in my opinion, as it sparks debate over matters that otherwise would likely be ignored but are important. I wish more academics could develop a writing style that successfully engages a wider audience in matters that tend to stay within small groups of a discipline, as Lekson has done here.”

“This title is far less splashy than my first choice, and to me speaks to the fundamentally solid archaeological literature that I am proud to publish here at the Press. I referenced this book somewhat heavily as I was working on my dissertation, which I am sure is a big reason it resonates with me. Though it was published fourteen years ago and deals with a topic that is constantly evolving, the book still provides solid insights relevant today on a number of aspects of least cost modeling. Books like this one, including volumes within our University of Utah Anthropological Papers series, are an excellent resource for archaeological scholars seeking methodological and theoretical guidance as well as detailed data sets.”

“First Peoples of Great Salt Lake is the first volume appearing in a series I co-edited before joining the press. No other book comes close to introducing so well the hundreds of generations of people who made the Great Salt Lake and its region home—a deep history made vivid through beautiful prose.”

 Juanita Brooks Best Book in Utah History (Finalist)

“Bears Ears is about a region I know well and yet surprised me on every page. Gulliford knows how to tell compelling stories, immersing readers in a region rich in human history and only recently prominent in the national consciousness.”

Winner of the Wallace Stegner Prize in American Environmental or Western History

“Roads in the Wilderness was my attempt to understand the historical roots of modern environmental conflict on the Colorado Plateau”