If you’re new to the realm of archaeological, anthropological and forensic sciences (AAFS), or are a student needing sturdy and reliable references, or wondering “what archaeology or anthropology textbooks to buy?”
On this page you can find links to a selection of the best textbooks – most of these have been suggested by university Professors and fellow peers.

On this page are a select few of the suggested AAFS textbooks with their ratings out of 5*,
to view the full complete reading list click:
here  for UK/Europe shipping, or here  for USA/Worldwide shipping.

If you prefer your textbooks on Kindle – a separate list is here.

Archaeology Essentials:

• Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice (UK/Europe Link)
  Archaeology Essentials: Theories, Methods, and Practice (Second Edition) (US/Worldwide Link)
  by Colin Renfrew and Paul Bahn. Rating: *****
  “This book is highly acclaimed and is the ultimate archaeology bible for students, or people new to archaeology and want to get stuck right in. After being recommended it by two of my University lecturers, I took it out from the library to use for my assignments so many times I ended up buying it.”

• Archaeology in Practice: A Student Guide to Archaeological Analyses (UK/Europe Link)
  Archaeology in Practice: A Student Guide to Archaeological Analyses (US/Worldwide Link)
  by Jane Balme and Alistair Paterson. Rating: ****
  “This is THE book for how to apply archaeological methods in real life contexts. It is easy to follow, so perfect for first year students as it uses numerous case studies and illustrations to show you how to apply it in practice. I used this during my studies to wrap my head around how methods can be applied – which helped when methods were only briefly discussed in theory during my lectures.”

• Human Remains in Archaeology: A Handbook (CBA Practical Handbook) (UK/Europe Link) On sale atm!
  Human Remains in Archaeology: a Handbook (Cba Practical Handbook) (US/Worldwide Link)
  by Charlotte Roberts. Rating: ****
  “This book is great for students to grasp and understand the importance of human remains in archaeological contexts. The book has a whole section dedicated to the numerous methods that are used . It is also a book from the CBA Practical Handbook series, so it has section on the laws/legal information which is really useful for Medico-Legal!
  This author also wrote The Archaeology of Disease (UK) The Archaeology of Disease (Worldwide), which I think is an anthropology essential!”

• Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (Oxford Paperback Reference) (UK/Europe Link)
  Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (Oxford Paperback Reference) (US/Worldwide Link)
  by Timothy Darvill.  Rating: *****
  “Does exactly as the title says – concise meanings making it handy to have for your written assignments or dissertations, especially when you’re having trouble with interpretations of archaeological features! It is also useful to decipher what is being said within published papers by breaking down the archaeological jargon into layman terms.”

Anthropology Essentials:

• The Human Bone Manual (UK/Europe)
  The Human Bone Manual (US/Worldwide Link)
  by Tim D. White and Pieter A. Folkens.  Rating: *****
  THIS IS A MUST HAVE – If you are studying anything to do with human remains and anthropology!!
  “I cannot stress how important this book is to have. It is the ‘go-to’ guide on anything relating to bones and skeletal remains. It’s illustrated as well, so if your course isn’t too hands on – you will still understand what the book is talking about. It’s a must for any budding anthropologist, and one of my favourite books to read. It’s really small and concise so its pretty much a ‘pocket book’.”

• The Archaeology of Disease (UK/Europe)
  The Archaeology of Disease (US/Worldwide Link)
  by Charlotte Roberts and Keith Manchester. Rating: *****
  “This is a essential if you’re studying diseases or taphonomy. It is fully illustrated with amazing case studies to display all diseases – ranging from simple fractures to malnutrition and infections. Brilliant book, helped me a lot with my university Anthropology unit where I had to examine a bone and conclude which illness it had.” 

• Human Remains in Archaeology: A Handbook (CBA Practical Handbook) (UK/Europe)
  Human Remains in Archaeology: a Handbook (Cba Practical Handbook) (US/Worldwide Link)
  by Charlotte Roberts.  Rating – ****
  “Another essential book from Charlotte Roberts, I’ve even placed this under both ‘archaeology’ and ‘anthropology’ essentials as it is that good!”

Forensic Essentials:

• Forensic Entomology: An Introduction (UK/Europe)
  Forensic Entomology: An Introduction (US/Worldwide Link)
  by Dorothy Gennard. Rating – ***
  “I used my this for my blog post on the basics of forensic entomology. It is perfect if you’re unsure on whether or not you want to pursue this career/discipline. Definitely a good read if your interest is sparked by Dr Hodgins from ‘Bones’, as it explained everything involved within entomology under legal settings.”

• Crime Scene Investigation: Methods and Procedures (UK/Europe)
  Crime Scene Investigation: Methods and Procedures (US/Worldwide Link)
  by Ian Pepper. Rating – ***
  “Very useful for the CSI side of things. Covers a range of topics – blood spatter, fingerprints, tracks amongst a few. It’s helped me a lot during my Advanced Forensic  Science module, and is perfect for an into into the world of forensic science.”

• Flesh and Bone: An Introduction to Forensic Anthropology (UK/Europe)
  Flesh and Bone: An Introduction to Forensic Anthropology (US/Worldwide Link)
  by Miriam Nafte. Rating – *****
  “This book was recommended to me by my professor – and was an absolute gem of a find!Perfect book for someone who wants an introduction to forensic anthropology, or has a single module in this topic.”

• A Dictionary of Forensic Science (Oxford Paperback Reference) (UK/Europe)
  A Dictionary of Forensic Science (Oxford Paperback Reference) (US/Worldwide Link)
   by Susanne Bell. Rating – ****
  “This book was really useful for my degree, especially when it came to written assignments as it covers everything in a concise manner – so if you’re reading a paper and don’t understand the terms, you can quickly look it up and understand what they mean.”

For fun AAFS related reading:

• The Archaeology of Death and Burial (UK/Europe)
  The Archaeology of Death and Burial (Texas A&M University Anthropology Series) (US/Worldwide Link)
  by Michael Parker Pearson. Rating – ****
  “I picked this book up pretty cheap, and it was worth it! Especially if you’re into weird, morbid but interesting accounts of burial rituals – this book contains examples ranging from ancient world to modern times.”

• Archaeology for Dummies & Anthropology For Dummies (UK/Europe Links)
  Archaeology For Dummies & Anthropology For Dummies (US/Worldwide Links) 
  “Both of these are perfect for those who are very new to archaeology or anthropology and want something a lot more basic and easy to read rather than educational reference books that can be a bit heavy! They are also great gifts for teenagers who want to pursue this type of career!”
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Due to a lot of people asking me where they can get student budget friendly archaeology/anthropology tools or what they should take on digs, I have compiled a list which you can view here (UK/Europe) or here (US/Worldwide)

Or visit our Etsy store to find unique, hand-crafted tool kits/rolls!

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