American Prehistory

• Reading the Maya Glyphs by Michael Coe (New York: Thames & Hudson, 2001). A wonderful book that helps the professional researcher or dedicated amateur decipher Mayan picture writing. This excellent, well illustrated guide doesn't neglect the cultural and linguistic context, while providing practical clues to help one recognize and understand the glyphs.
• The Ancient Mounds of Poverty Point: Place of Rings by Jon Gibson (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2001) A very readable description of the complex influences that created this Louisiana site 3500 years ago, and a theory that the site's earthworks are a symbolic representation of the resident's world view.

Egyptology

• The Pyramids: The Mystery, Culture, and Science of Egypt's Great Monuments by Miroslav Verner (New York: Grove Press, 2001). An excellent, up-to-date guide to what is known and what is believed by archaeologists regarding Egyptian pyramids. Includes an extensive list of known sites.
• Sticks, Stones, & Shadows: Building the Egyptian Pyramids by Martin Isler (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001). This book looks at various theories about how the pyramids were built, including experimental data from the author's own efforts.

Great Britain and Ireland

• Prehistory in the Peak by Mark Edmonds and Tim Seaborne (Tempus Press, 2001). This book traces the prehistory of the Peak District (in and around Derbyshire, England) from 18,000 to 2000 years ago, covering stone age occupations, bronze and iron age settlements, and the Roman presence. A thorough and readable narrative, richly illustrated with photographs, this work is recommended reading for any interested in this area.

Historic Archaeology

• Island Lives: Historical Archaeologies of the Caribbean edited by Paul Farnsworth (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001). From the earliest European inhabitants and their African slaves, to the complex creol cultures that developed out of the varied influences of those early settlers, this book examines the historical archaeological evidence on the islands, and the influence of those archaeological finds on the national identities of the current residents.

World Archaeology

• The Civilization of Angkor by Charles Higham (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001). These ancient Cambodian monuments, abandoned in 1431 A.D., are described both by archaeological evidence, and historic literary references, giving us a clear picture of their construction, use, and abandonment.