Hi All,

Over the next few weeks, I hope to send out a few e-mails about various aspects of bottle research.  Even though bottle research is already a specialization of artifact analysis, I wear two pretty different, although often intertwined, hats -- one with the Bottle Research Group, investigating manufacturer's marks and other identification issues of national interest; the other as a researcher of local/regional bottles from El Paso, Texas, Southern New Mexico, and Juarez, Mexico.

As such, I would like to announce a new book of regional interest that has sections that may be useful to some of you.  Mike Miller and I wrote the book about the Southwestern Coca-Cola Bottling Co., with branches in New Mexico and Arizona.

The first two sections are specific to the company.  Part I discusses the history, and Part II looks at the individual bottles used by the company.  What is useful from an archaeological point of view is that we were able to take a variety of approaches and produce a chronology of bottles ordered by this company on a year by year basis.  It is unusual to find artifacts that provide that tight a dating set.

Part 3 is written by the Bottle Research Group and addresses the manufacturer's marks used on the Southwestern Coke bottles (and flavor bottles).

Part 4 is probably of greatest interest to historical archaeologists in general.  I have provided a dating guide for embossed Hobble-Skirt Coca-Cola bottles.  Since Coke bottles became virtually ubiquitous in the US during the early part of the 20th century, this should prove helpful for many, including some outside the US.

The book is not peer reviewed.  It was published by Lulu publishing and is available on Amazon.com for $25 plus shipping.

I apologize to those of you who may feel this is not appropriate, but I do not know of another good way to let you know that this type of publication is available.

Thanks,

Bill Lockhart