Between 1940 and 1990, husband-and-wife team Florence and Robert Lister participated in archaeological expeditions, co authored numerous books and articles, and pursued research that took them on countless adventures around the world. While willingly taking a back seat to her husband and his professional pursuits, Florence Lister was an archaeologist in her own right and- through years of study under such notables as Anna Shepard- became a specialist in the field of ceramic analysis.
In this refreshing, humorously written autobiography, Lister recounts the story of her life as wife, mother, and archaeologist, beginning with her first glimpse of prehistoric pottery that sparked her imagination and catapulted her into the predominantly male world of archeology. Her account creatively combines personal anecdotes with the fascinating history of central Mexico, Morocco, and colonial South America, where she and her husband pieced together the origins, technology, and trade routes of Spanish colonial ceramics brought to the New World.
Written in the years following Robert Lister’s death in 1990, Pot Luck offers invaluable insight into the field of archaeology at a time when women were less than welcome. Personal recollections of modern archaeology’s forefathers (and mothers) complement more serious scientific observations. – Tamara Stewart
