A well considered, scholarly survey of the archaeology of Aboriginal Australia with chapters on colonization, and geographic diversity and variation from the tropical north to the arid center of the continent, temperate southern reaches and Tasmania. Lourandis, who writes well, stressses the complexity and dynamism of Aboriginal Australia throughout the book, a direct challenger to earlier static views with more of a focus on the environment as a determinging factor in cultural change. With drawings and 50 maps. For travelers with a serious interest in Australian archaeology and prehistory (and a taste for theoretical debate).  (AUS129, $57.00)