It has been more than 35 years since the publication of Land Snails in Archaeology (1972) by J.G. Evans. The 1972 text was an important contribution to archaeology because it focused on snail assemblages collected from archaeological contexts. Although Davies (2008) does not set out to replace Evans (1972), the author does a thorough job of illustrating advances made both in neoecology (i.e., modern molluscan studies) and paleoecology (i.e., sub-fossil studies) during the interim period. Taking a contextual approach, the author discusses research from both archaeological and non-archaeological contexts, both of which are of interest to archaeologists. In addition, the book presents a comprehensive overview of sub-fossil molluscan analysis of snail shells from Late Quaternary sediments of Great Britain and Northern Europe. It discusses how analysis of mollusks can be used for paleoenvironmental reconstruction on a site-specific and regional basis, which should be of interest to many geoarchaeologists.
Snails: Archaeology and Landscape Change (2008) consists of eleven chapters, which may be divided into three main sections: introduction and background to molluscan analysis (Chapters 1-3), archaeological applications (Chapters 4-5), and molluscan analysis of various depositional environments (Chapters 6-10). Chapter 11 provides a succinct discussion of suggestions for future research. This is followed by four appendices and a fairly thorough index. The structure allows the book to progress logically, and although delineation of these different sections might have clarified the ordering of the chapters more clearly, this is a minor suggestion.
Davis opens Chapter 1, "Introduction to Molluscan Analysis: Principle and Practice," by stating that study of snail shells for the purpose of reconstructing past climate and vegetation is hardly a new field. However, past problems with poor sampling strategies and processing have been overcome in recent years, and more detailed paleoenvironmental interpretations are now possible due to the growth of modern snail habitat studies, which are used as modern analogs for the past. Sampling, processing, identification, interpretation, and numerical analyses are all discussed in this chapter in a manner that can be easily understood by the nonspecialist. The author outlines how important it is to conduct both vertical and lateral sampling within a region, particularly when there is an interest in assisting reconstruction of landscape history. This chapter would be an excellent reference for an archaeologist or geoarchaeologist to consider before inviting a paleoecologist to work at their site. It would allow one to be clearly aware of relevant research questions to ask, sampling and processing procedures and challenges, and various interpretative issues that (s)he might encounter.
Chapter 2, "Neoecology: Aspects of Distribution and Habitat-Based Studies," is divided into two parts. The first part is a review of factors (e.g., soil chemistry, temperature, food preferences, etc.) that affect snail species composition and distribution on different scales. This is followed by an overview of different habitat types, including general and permanent flowing freshwater, wetlands, grassland, woodland, sand dunes, and rocky environments. The author also includes discussion of spatial variability within habitats such as intra-grassland mosaics, grassland-woodland boundaries, and developing woodlands.
In Chapter 3, "Late-glacial and Postglacial Environmental Change: the Molluscan Framework," the author discusses the valuable role that molluscan analysis can play in the reconstruction of past climate, particularly in areas where other data are absent (e.g., areas of poor pollen preservation). In these regions, molluscan assemblages are generally well preserved and can be used in reconstructing past environmental history. This is a valuable contribution, although it would be useful if the author clarified the difference in response lag times to climate change between pollen and molluscan evidence, since pollen can be quite sensitive to changes in temperature and precipitation. The concept of zonation is discussed