From the Prologue to the Percheron Press Edition "The unique contribution that Marxism can make to archaeology comes from the integration of [its three parts] to gain knowledge of, critique, and take action in the world. [T]his integration is an ongoing, dynamic, and never-ending process. My starting point for this process is to be found in A Marxist Archaeology and I hope that other archaeologists will find my efforts helpful as they begin their journey." From the reviews "[McGuire] recognizes that no study of humanity can operate effectively without an engagement with the broader intellectual tradition of Marxism, and he is capable, through the clarity of his writing, to convey these insights and the arguments that support them to a wider and perhaps more skeptical audience." John C. Barrett in American Anthropologist "McGuire provides a broad overview of Marxist theory and Marxist archaeology. He supplies a valuable bibliography and brief discussions of the contributions of almost every significant Marxist thinker . [and] demonstrates the wealth of debate within contemporary Marxism.

" Elizabeth M. Brumfiel in American Antiquity.