Investigates plainwares from the far west, stretching into the Great Basin and the northwestern and southwestern edges of Arizona. Contributors use and explain recent analytical methods, including neutron activation, electron microprobe analysis, and thin-section optical mineralogy.

"This project was submitted to the University of Utah Anthropological Papers (UUAP) series and reflects a similar project done by Suzanne Griset in 1986 for Great Basin ceramics (UUAP #111). This time, the authors of this edited volume present a summary of ceramics found in Southern California and southern Nevada, again with a focus on undecorated wares. These ceramics span the period from prehistory to historic Mission wares and beyond. This volume is intended to be a reference piece and also to set the stage for future research. It includes and reviews current methods and techniques which were not available in the earlier volume. Ceramics are an important artifact in helping to establish an age range on an archaeological site, and often provide a look at cultural identity, place of origin, and trade"--