Felicia A. Holton Book Award

2012 Holton Book winner
Jack W. Brink

The Felicia A. Holton Book Award will be given annually to a writer who, through a major work of non-fiction, represented the importance and excitement of archaeology to the general public. Submissions should focus on archaeology but may also delve into literary and historical topics. The work must have been published in English and bear a date of publication within three calendar years prior to (not including) the year of the Annual Meeting at which the award is given. From time to time, the Holton Award may be given for lifetime achievement in non-fiction popular writing. Books written by current members of the Governing Board of the AIA or the CAA or by the Committee are not eligible.

Authors and publishers may bring their books to the committee's attention by sending a Letter of Nomination and four sample copies for distribution to the committee to the address below. The Letter of Nomination should address how the book nominated fulfills the guidelines. AIA members are also encouraged to suggest books worthy of the award by filling out the nomination form. Please note that individual AIA members do not need to submit four books. The AIA office will contact the publisher directly. Books may be submitted for the award only once, and should not be re-submitted unless specifically requested by the committee.

Due Date for Nomination

Letter of nomination and books should be received by Institute Headquarters at the below address no later than February 1, 2012.

Holton Book Award
Attn: Awards
Archaeological Institute of America
656 Beacon Street, 6th Floor
Boston, MA 02215-2006
(617) 353-9361
FAX: (617) 353-6550
E-mail: awards@aia.bu.edu

Questions about the Book Award may be directed to Deanna Baker, Membership and Societies Administrator, at the above address.

Guidelines for the Felicia A. Holton Book Award

The Holton Book Award will be given annually to a writer who, through a major work of non-fiction, represented the importance and excitement of archaeology to the general public.

Submissions should focus on archaeology but may also delve into literary and historical topics. The work must have been published in English within the past three years and be available in the United States and Canada.

No nominated book may be resubmitted for the Holton Award unless requested by the Holton Book Award Committee.

From time to time the Holton Award may be given for lifetime achievement in non-fiction popular writing.

Books written by current members of the Governing Board of the AIA or the CAA or by the Committee are not eligible.

Submission Deadline: February 1 at the AIA office in Boston. Submission materials should include four copies of the book and a letter describing how the book fulfills the criteria given below.

The Holton Book Award will be presented at the annual AIA meeting.

Criteria for Submissions

The work should have broad public appeal and be written for an adult lay audience in a clear and engaging style.

It should convey the excitement of archaeological discovery accurately and responsibly.

It should be well-researched and provide new insight for the general public.

2012 Holton Book Award Winner: Jack W. Brink

Imagining Head-Smashed-In: Aboriginal Buffalo Hunting on the Northern Plains by Jack W. Brink comprehensively and beautifully recounts the practices of North America’s Great Plains hunters some 9,000 years ago. Having worked for many years as an archaeologist at the site of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (located between Calgary, Alberta, and the Montana state line), Brink examines these people’s ingenious use of the landscape of the vast plains to carry out buffalo kills on an extraordinary scale. Brink is a consummate storyteller, and his book advances our understanding of archaeology in the best ways. He provides the general reader with a solid understanding of archaeological fieldwork and explains how evidence is gathered, how the “story” of a site and a people is constructed from that evidence, and, ultimately, how such a site can be preserved for visitors according to best practices. 

Past Winners of the Felicia A. Holton Book Award