Since 1999 Bill Rathje and I have held a series of conversations with a host of archaeologists who have visited our new Archaeology Center at Stanford.

Archaeologists with attitude.

We have talked about their experiences of the discipline, their thoughts about what matters in archaeology and where it is going.

We have recorded, transcribed and annotated the conversations and think the result gives a fascinating insight into the state of archaeology - a text(book) that combines the personality of some of its characters with the immediacy of personal engagement - and the notes take the reader deep into the real work of archaeology.

With Sue Alcock, Lewis Binford, Victor Buchli, John Cherry, Meg Conkey, George Cowgill, Ian Hodder, Kristian Kristiansen, Mark Leone, Randall McGuire, Lynn Meskell, Mary and Adrian Praetzellis, Colin Renfrew, Michael Schiffer, Alain Schnapp, Patty Jo Watson, Alison Wylie.