Customer Reviews

Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points of the Midcontinental and Eastern United States: A Modern Survey and Reference

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Justice's "Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points" is a must have for anyone interested in Midwestern prehistoric lithic technology. A number of localized and somewhat regional typology books are available, but none attempts such a widespread regional synthesis. Two primary features make Justice the best point book available. The first is his use of the point cluster concept. Instead recognizing each individual point type name as a scientifically valid and culturally meaningful category (like Perino), Justice groups points by clusters of points exhibiting close morphological affinities. He then lists all those other named variants as "morphological correlates" so that they may still be referenced by looking them up in the index.
The second benefit of this book is the fact that it is profusely illustrated, with most point types being represented by multiple drawings and some by color photographs. This aids the archeologist and collector in that it illustrates the range of variation included in each point type category.

The only fault of this book is that it has been abused by some who consider it the final word in point type ranges. This is due to the fact that Justice provides maps of the known distribution of each of the point types in the Midwest. These maps, although helpful, are necessarily incomplete in that they only contain information available up the the date of the book's publication. Science is variable; distributions change. If one keeps this in mind, there will be no problems.

In all, therefore, this book is great for all and a necessity for the archeologist and serious collector.

This is the best point typology book I have come across.I disagree with the assertion that the scope of this book is limited to late archaic and woodland cultures,as it is clearly evident that paleo and other archaic forms are described.Especially good for chronometric associations and cultural affiliations,as well as developmental histories of point types.

Justice's monumental work is a boone for anyone interested in the relationships of projectile points throughtout the East/Midwest Regions. Justice outlines each projectile point by its morphological and chronological characteristics. Justice relates each point within a regional framework to other typologically and temporally similar points. Bibliographic information is given for each type and cluster. This book is a must for anyone interested in the use of projectile points as chronolgical markers. The book's main fault is it is only applicable through the late archaic/woodland period. It is, however, extremely thorough in the periods it does cover.

This was the first of his excellent series, and while it is very useful, the later ones are somewhat better. Worth buying, though.

Excellent book. I have used it for both research and education. It is one of the basic books in my library.

An excellent reference book. The only thing that kept me from rating it a five star was one of my pet peeves. The first time you use a technical term, define it. Do not assume that your reader knows a corner point from a side point.