The Great Basin and neighboring western Colorado Plateau occupy most of Nevada and Utah, as well as portions of California, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado—an incredibly diverse region that remains one of the United States’ most sparsely populated.
Two recently published books provide an up-do-date syntheses of the past inhabitants and changing environments of the Great Basin. Steven Simms’ well-illustrated book gives a detailed yet highly readable synthesis of human adaptation to the ancient environments of this region. Frequent sidebars serve to explain and highlight important concepts, and extensive end notes provide additional detail and support for his interpretations, making the book accessible and providing a great deal of information for those wishing to delve deeper into the topic. Stunning original artwork with detailed captions convey the diversity and dynamics of past Great Basin peoples and their adaptations.
Catherine and Don Fowlers’ edited volume offers 19 short chapters by knowledgeable researchers about how people lived in this challenging environment. The topics range from the region’s paleo-environments and its early peopling, to the Archaic period, to the Fremont culture and their rock art. While focusing on archaeology, many of the authors use ethnology to flesh out their interpretations of the uses and meanings of Great Basin artifacts and landscapes. The book contains gorgeous color photos and excellent maps and illustrations.
These Great Basin volumes are among the few to focus specifically on this often-ignored region, and they are particularly timely given the amount of work done in the region in the past 20 years. Both are highly relevant to modern times, as they relate how the great flexibility and resilience of these peoples helped them cope with tremendous climatic and environmental changes. —Tamara Stewart
