Archaeology of the Lower Ohio River Valley /

Muller has produced a useful compendium of archaeological findings from a key region of the midwestern US (i.e., the lower Ohio River from its confluence with the Green River southwest to the Mississippi River). The latest volume in the Academic Press ``New World Archaeological'' series, it contains seven chapters, two that serve as an introduction to the region and the physical environment and five that order archaeological information chronologically (beginning 10,000 BCE and ending with the Civil War era). Muller (Southern Illinois University, Carbondale) highlights regional variation by identifying archaeological phases and by describing the range in variation in artifacts recovered. The book includes an excellent discussion integrating regional cultural variation and environmental variation. Well edited, referenced, and indexed, some chapters would have been strengthened by a more balanced distribution of figures; many figures were drafted by computer, and in some cases the resolution is low. Appropriate for knowledgeable avocationalists and advanced readers.-M.J. O'Brien, University of Missouri-Columbia