Tom King knows cultural resource management. As one of its long-standing practitioners, a key person in developing the regulations, and a consultant, trainer, and author of several important books on the topic, King's ideas on CRM have had a large impact on contemporary practice. In this witty, sardonic book, he outlines ways of improving how cultural resources are treated in America. King tackles everything from disciplinary blinders, NAGPRA, and the National Register to flaws in the Section 106 process, avaricious consultants, and the importance of meaningful consultation with native peoples. This brief work is an important source of new ideas for anyone working in this field and a good starting point for discussion in courses and training programs.

"Thinking About Cultural Resource Management: Essays from the Edge...includes thoughtful articles on a wide range of topics including meaningful consultation with Native People and biases among archaeologists." - Sacred Sites Newsletter, Vol. 13.1 (Fall 2002)

"King's critical voice is indeed a refreshing retort to the uncritical literature that frequently appears in cultural resource management and historic preservation policy publications...King's rebukes encourage a new line of thinking about CRM: a much more critical understanding of the regulations that govern our work and the fragmented sources of power that often lie behind it." - Vernacular Architecture Newsletter, No. 97, Fall 2003

"A substantial contribution to American historical and archaeological resources at both intellectual and hands-on levels...a worthy enterprise...I can commend this to anybody in CRM domains...happily and strongly recommend[ed]" - American Antiquity, Vol. 69, No. 1, 2004

"This book is...interesting in providing a context for the growth of the heritage industry...the underpinning issues are highly relevant...the book should be compulsory reading for heritage professionals, both within and outside government agencies." - Historic Environment, Vol. 17, No. 2, 2003

"This book contains the same rational, articulate and pointed critique of CRM laws and their implementation that we have come to expect and enjoy from King....I strongly recommend this book to anyone involved in cultural resource management and believe it should be a fundamental teaching tool for university courses." - Kiva, Vol. 69, Nr. 4, Summer 2004

"King effectively provoked me into a critical evaluation of what we are trying to accomplish with CRM. I recommend this volume as food for thougt to CRM practitioners, government regulators and teachers of CRM practice at universities and colleges." - Canadian Journal of Archaeology

"Few individuals are better placed to provide sage advice and observation about the current state of CRM practice than King." - Industrial Archeology, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2002