Gifts from an Archaeologist's Bookcase: John L. Cotter's Library

Abstract

Upon the death of John L. Cotter (1911-1999), renowned archaeologist, University of Pennsylvania, a portion of his library passed to the Clovis Archives. The ca. 3,500 holdings include books, monographs, abundant journals, and letter correspondence. The tomes are peppered by marginalia and book-marked notes, thus preserving insights into the scholar's mind over a 65-year career in both prehistoric and historical archaeology. Due to the collection's size and fragile state, organizing and conserving it have been works-in-progress. In sorting through Cotter's papers on Paleoindian research, two Clovis fluted points—carefully wrapped and bagged—were discovered wedged in a file holder. In this article we describe these artifacts, document their intriguing history, and speculate on their presence within Cotter's library.

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