David Starbuck, University Press of New England, 2006

David Starbuck’s latest book, The Archeology of New Hampshire: Exploring 10,000 Years in the Granite State, details all types of New Hampshire archeology, including prehistoric, historic, industrial and marine. The book covers many of the things that make New Hampshire distinctive: the people, what they valued and how they lived.

“New Hampshireites can take pride in the history of their state and know its past is very rich indeed,” says David Starbuck, associate professor of anthropology/sociology at PSU. “A book like this is for everyone; to help shed light on our own history and help people appreciate the vastly different lifestyles and cultures that existed before us.” He notes that a lot of attention tends to be given to international archeological digs, such as those that focus on ancient Mayan or Greek cultures, but most American archeologists actually dig in America. “Archeologists are storytellers, and dig sites and artifacts put flesh on the bones. When you can take someone out to a site, put something in their hands and tell them how it relates to the present day, you close the gap on the distant past.

This is Starbuck’s sixth book for the University Press of New England. His next book will be The Archaeology of Forts and Battlefields, to be published by the University Press of Florida.—Michele Barney Hutchins