Before California: An Archaeologist Looks at Our Earliest Inhabitants.

One of the world's best-known popularizers of archaeology takes readers on a tour of the Golden State from ancient times to the Spanish influx of the 16th century. The first part of the book is a broad overview of the 13,000 years from 11,200 B.C. to A.D. 1542. Fagan then examines the first settlement of the Paleo-Indians, the earliest colonization of the Pacific coast, increasing social complexity, gender differentiation, and conflict and trade among diverse early inhabitants of this area. The book's third section focuses on the period from 2500 B.C. to 2000 B.C., when hunting assumed importance and people began to exploit the seacoasts. Those changes led to social organization and trade. Finally, Fagan recounts the 3,500 years leading up to the mid-16th century. Pre-Californians of that period included salmon fishers of the north coast, clam diggers living among shell mounds in San Francisco Bay, and migratory Indians of the desert regions. Rowman & Littlefield, 2003, 400 p., b&w photos/illus., hardcover, $24.95.