When the Land Was Young

An award-winning science and nature writer “presents a lively, confident, and free-flowing history of archaeology in America” (Booklist).

Digging up the relics of the past is not without controversy. With insight and eloquence, Sharman Apt Russell reveals here that when it comes to archaeological study, there is more than one way to examine history.

Raising provocative questions anew about subjects such as the role of humans in the extinction of the large land mammals of the Pleistocene epoch and the repatriation of Native American graves, Russell, winner of the John Burroughs Medal—whose recipients include Rachel Carson—explores the question of what we owe to our past. Through a series of interviews with archaeologists and activists who have helped modernize the field, Russell provides fascinating ideas about the role of archaeology in the stewardship of antiquity, as well as the implications for our common future.

“Russell’s work is thoughtful, beautifully written, and well documented. A good way for lay readers to become more informed.” —Library Journal

“Agile, cerebral, ruminative, entirely satisfying.” —Kirkus Reviews