Designed as a supplement to introductory texts in archaeology, Reading Archaeology offers selections from scholarly journals and books as well as from semi-scientific periodicals and the popular press. Readings are chosen based on their potential to stimulate student interest and introduce a diversity of archaeological literature in all its major forms.

Reading Archaeology pairs well with Muckle's core text, Introducing Archaeology, which uses the same thematic organization, but can easily be used with any other introductory archaeology text.