"Early Hunter-Gatherers of the California Coast" offers a comprehensive analysis of the prehistoric lifestyle along the Santa Barbara coast approximately 8,500 years ago. The author, Jon M. Erlandson, relies on detailed excavation data to reconstruct the paleogeographic conditions of this region. By comparing it with other early Californian sites, valuable insights into the lifestyle of hunter-gatherers and their adaptations to the coastal environment are gained. The book places particular emphasis on paleogeographic reconstructions, site formation processes, chronological studies, and integrated faunal analyses. These aspects make the work an important resource for scholars studying shell middens, the ecology of hunter-gatherers, geoarchaeology, as well as coastal or aquatic adaptations.