Ancient Ruins of the Southwest: An Archaeological Guide

I have been to the Southwest four straight years now and I still refer to this book when planning my vacations. The book describes every major ancient site in the southwest with plenty of pictures and maps to give you the confidence you need to visit them. What I liked most about Mr. Noble's style of writing is he mixes in historical information alongside detailed descriptions on how to get to and visit the sites. The result is a history book that reads like a guide book. I'm the first person to admit that I have a short attention span when it comes to reading 100+ page books on places I want to visit. I tend to scan the text for what I'm interested in and miss alot of background information. By arranging the book in regions and giving each site its own 2-4 page section, it is easy to get a quick overview for planning and catch some interesting facts as well. As a result of this book, I have visited numerous sites in Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. I can vouch for the accuracy of the descriptions and directions contained within the book and would highly recommend purchasing it if you are even remotely interested in the ancient sites of the southwest.

I stumbled upon this book in the library and found myself reading every page. I have visited most of the sites described with a friend who (unknown to me) had a copy and planned our itinerary. I wish I'd had the book with me so I could have better understood how what we were seeing fit together. The descriptions include the well known as well as less often visited ruins. I have become a student of ancient American life, and this book inspires me to revisit places I've seen. The author mixes easy-to-read descriptions, archaeology, and speculation about early peoples in a book that reads more like stories than the travel companion it is. The maps, explanations of what you'll see, and suggested additional reading inspire further exploration. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in the Southwest who plans to visit ancient ruins or wants a concise reminder of what they saw after visiting. I'm getting my own copy to keep even though I've read it. A great book!

Wow, a lot of really interesting information about all those native American ruins that I was just driving by on the highway before in the Southwest!

This book serves as a great text and reference. My only complaint is with the photos, which are all printed in black and white. Whether due to an error in plate preparation, or by the press's page designer, they are mostly very mid-tone and lacking in contrast, muddying the detail. (This might also be the result of converting color shots to B & W.) How I wish more of the photos were in color, since the Southwestern deserts are alive with amazing hues which are lost here. The author managed to capture wonderful shots which deserve better treatment and reproduction.

I used this as a primer to inform my journeys across New Mexico. The ruin list appears to be as complete as any I can find, and each writeup gives a great summary of what I go to see. I've used this to plan trips all across New Mexico.Only suggestion: Mapping or indexing by location would be very helpful. The sites are sorted by culture, so if you go to a particular Ancestral Pueblo/Chacoan site, you might not know that there are Pueblo or other ruins nearby.Thank you for this book.

After visiting Hovenweep and Aztec NM, I decided to order this book. Wish I had read this book before visiting those two outstanding parks. Its full of information on the ruins and the cultures who occupied the pueblo places of the past. The book has inspired me to return to the southwest next year and explore more of these ancient ruin locations.

Useful, but perhaps not quite directive enough for someone looking for guidance on what to see and what you can miss when time is limited.

This book is the ONE TO HAVE when touring archeological sites, monuments, and national parks in the Southwest. It is well written with details about ancient peoples, discovery of site, analysis details, cultural expansion and influence, location, hours, and available services with telephone numbers. Too many sites for one trip, but now I can plan an area visit that will fulfill great photography efforts and a better understanding of the Southwestern cultures.