The Archaeology of Smoking and Tobacco - (American Experience in Archaeological Pespective) by Georgia L Fox (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Fox provides important insights that will help historical archaeologists interpret tobacco-related finds and understand the multiple meanings of a commodity that has burned through the social, political, and economic fabric of the modern world."--Frederick H. Smith, author of The Archaeology of Alcohol and Drinking

"Few artifacts illustrate the American experience as clearly as tobacco. Fox examines how tobacco and smoking reveal broader social life across the face of the planet over a half-millennium."--Paul Mullins, author of The Archaeology of Consumer Culture

Smoking pipes are among the most commonly found artifacts at North American archaeological sites, affirming the prevalence and longevity of smoking as a cultural practice. Yet surprisingly this is the first study in historical archaeology to broadly interpret tobacco and smoking-related activities along with the clues they give about past societies.

In The Archaeology of Smoking and Tobacco, Georgia Fox analyzes the archaeological record to survey the discovery, production, consumption, and trade of this once staple crop. She also examines how tobacco use has influenced the evolution of an American cultural identity, including perceptions of glamour, individuality, patriotism, class, gender, ethnicity, and worldliness.

Employing material culture found throughout North America and the Caribbean, Fox considers the ways in which Native Americans, enslaved Africans, the working class, the Irish, and women used tobacco. Her own research in Port Royal, Jamaica--an important New World hub in the British-colonial tobacco network--provides a fascinating case study to investigate the consumption of luxury goods in the pre-industrial era and the role tobacco played in an emerging capitalist world system and global economy.

A volume in the series the American Experience in Archaeological Perspective, edited by Michael S. Nassaney

Review Quotes

"A compelling historical account that takes the reader on a colorful journey from the introduction, adoption, and use of tobacco. . . . [Fox] familiarizes both the knowledgeable and the inquisitive reader with the spread and acceptance of smoking as a cultural custom, as well as the more recent history of tobacco use and the burgeoning industry of pipe manufactories here and abroad."--Winterthur Portfolio "An engaging study of Americans' perceptions of themselves."--American Archaeology
"A well-written and accessible summary of 300 years of tobacco smoking in the Americas from an archaeological perspective. It is filled with numerous interesting examples and is peppered with just enough archaeological theory and method."--American Anthropologist


"The first study in historical archaeology to broadly interpret tobacco and smoking-related activities along with the clues they give about past societies."--Anthropology Book Forum

About the Author

Georgia L. Fox is professor of anthropology at California State University, Chico.