Alberta Archaeology : A Handbook for Amateurs

Card covers, 140 pages, 5x8 in - 14x21 cm, illustrations and photographs.

Spine bumped at head and heel. Front cover verso, title page, and p.5 stamped by previous owner. P.71 marked in ink. Laid in content marked in ink and stained.

In 1958-1959, Donald King directed archaeological excavations in southern Alberta for the Glenbow Foundation’s Archaeology Department. In 1968, he authored this accessible yet thorough handbook for amateur archaeologists (using illustrations and photos from the Glenbow Foundation). The volume outlines artifacts and sites that one is likely to encounter in Alberta archaeology, details the process of site excavation, and describes several means of dating artifacts. Illustrations, photos, glossaries, and indexes add reference value to the book. Throughout, King stresses that proper documentation and excavation are crucial elements of archaeology, even for collectors and amateurs. Laid in are two unused artifact catalogue cards (see p.71).