Patterns in Prehistory: Humankind's First Three Million Years

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and Well-Written
Review: I found myself listening to people whine and complain about the detail that Wenke goes into when discussing a topic. As compared to a textbook such as Fagan's 'People of The Earth', 'Patterns in Prehistory' certainly is rather long-winded in some regards. When cramming for a test, it might not be the best, yet I thouroughly enjoyed reading through it. It feels as though you are having a discussion with Mr. Wenke himself, not trudging through the required reading before a lecture. It's the kind of textbook you take with you to a comfortable chair and read leisurely, not one with which you come armed with highliter, expecting helpful 'test terms' and colorful pictures. I'm glad I was able to use this textbook as opposed to Fagan (which I've glanced over). I feel that I have come away with a much better understanding than those who failed to get past the small print and long chapters. And compared to other textbooks, it's a steal pricewise. Mr. Wenke is an excellent writer with an obvious passion for his field, I thank him for a solid read.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great.
Review: This is a suitable textbook for an introductory class on world prehistory. Comrehensive in scope, it goesd from australopithecus to the pre-contact in the New World. Wenke's writing is simple and straightforward, so even generalists with no archaeological background will be able to follow easily. The writing is even occasionally enlivened with Wenke's oft-present sardonic wit, although this falls flat a lot of the time. However, the sheer timespan covered by this text prevents it from going into any interesting detail, leaving the surface barely scratched. While easy to read, it's of less use, the further up one goes in the field of archaeology. It's also rather difficult to take notes from, and contains pages of daunting, unbroken texts. Some neat charts to break up the flow would help students. Perhaps because I have gone beyond this level now, I'm an arky snob, but I was less than impressed with this book.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great.
Review: This is a suitable textbook for an introductory class on world prehistory. Comrehensive in scope, it goesd from australopithecus to the pre-contact in the New World. Wenke's writing is simple and straightforward, so even generalists with no archaeological background will be able to follow easily. The writing is even occasionally enlivened with Wenke's oft-present sardonic wit, although this falls flat a lot of the time. However, the sheer timespan covered by this text prevents it from going into any interesting detail, leaving the surface barely scratched. While easy to read, it's of less use, the further up one goes in the field of archaeology. It's also rather difficult to take notes from, and contains pages of daunting, unbroken texts. Some neat charts to break up the flow would help students. Perhaps because I have gone beyond this level now, I'm an arky snob, but I was less than impressed with this book.