"In Small Things Forgotten".

I found this at Bookman's.  I think it was in the Sociology section, hidden unobtrusively amidst the mostly hardcover books.  I think that's partly what drew me to it.  There's something interesting about small, paperback books; they can pack a punch without taking up much space.

According to what I've read about the late Dr. James Deetz, he was known to be the world's leading expect on historical archaeology, as well as a colorful person and professor.  This little, humble, paperback book that I found for $2 is considered to be one of the main works on historical archaeology.

http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/ioa/backdirt/Spr01/deetz.html

Above is a link for an article: "Remembering James Deetz" written by Merrick Posnansky.

This is another link about his publications: http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/jdeetzmem3.html.

I have an interest in the subjects of Environmental Psychology, Anthropology, and Archaeology and any subject that extends from that.  I think there's something symbolic about this lightweight paperback, less than 200 pages (including indexes), being a small item itself and yet it digs deep into early American history to find out how items relate to our culture and behavior.  What a vast subject, including so many different topics and themes, but not needing to be the biggest, baddest, most expensive hardcover textbook on the market.

As a former college student, I would have loved to find this on the school bookstore shelf, even at retail of $4, it wouldn't have broken the bank, and it wouldn't have been so intimidating to avoid cracking it open for as long as I could. I may have been able to read this in one sitting and then some while gaining a deep insight into American culture and history.

I appreciate this college textbook on many levels.  I have gotten into the first chapter and the material is fascinating.  I plan to carry it in my purse and read it during lunch.

Currently, on Amazon it's going for under $13:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385483996/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0385483996&linkCode=as2&tag=crifoyo-20&linkId=KXOBDXUBUDJIBDTP.