Standing on the Walls of Time by Kevin Jones, former Utah State Archaeologist, is a personal plea in defense of the rock art of Utah. The book includes 14 short chapters, a map, a glossary, and 152 color photographs by Layne Miller (and one by Jones). A list of references at the end is a guide to further reading. The book is written in a colloquial style to appeal to the general public. The chapters are brief, averaging around two pages or shorter, and are generally accompanied by 10 to 12 photographs. Scenic landscapes and photos of archaeological habitation sites and features are included with the presumed aim of contextualizing the rock art. The rock painting and petroglyph examples range from ancient Archaic hunter-gatherer to historic Ute. Featured are the awe-inspiring Archaic Barrier Canyon style and Fremont anthropomorphs, and some less well-known sites are also included among the photographs.

Bolstered by a plethora of imagery, the volume makes a heartfelt appeal to the reader to engage with the ancient people who created these paintings and carvings on stone “canvases” across the stunning landscapes of Utah's Colorado Plateau. Jones rightfully asserts that the ancient creators of the rock art held the same human complexities as we, the observers, have. Further, he takes the position that these images are really art, and similar to art produced today, it had many functions. This point is important. While this reviewer generally concurs with Jones in maintaining that the medium is not the criteria, there is considerable debate within the rock art research community about whether rock art should be considered art as opposed to something else. In Utah, however, its status as art is commonly undeniable.

Beyond offering a simple and brief guide-book framework of chronology and cultural sequences, there is little regard here for scholarly research. Jones beseeches his reader to emotionally engage with rock art and, through the images, reach out to the humanity of the past. He claims that knowing rock art's meaning is impossible, proposing that a person unfamiliar with the Judeo-Christian tradition would not associate a painting portraying a serpent, an apple, a man, and a woman with the concept of “original sin.” This would be impossible, and Jones makes an excellent point. Admittedly, much in the interpretive realm remains inaccessible to archaeologists, but useful approaches to understanding the diverse functions and meaning of rock art in Utah and elsewhere do exist in the archaeological literature.

While the text harbors a few gems of commentary as Jones pleads his case, unfortunately, there are significant problems. Some are factual. Too much credibility is assigned to the possible existence of Paleoindian art in Utah, especially in the case of the Bluff “mammoth,” an alleged petroglyph site that has been debunked through geological analysis. In more than a dozen instances, erroneous information is given in the text and captions. A particularly egregious case involves one petroglyph that is assigned to two different locations (figures 2.11 and 11.4), both of which are incorrect.

Wording is sometimes repetitive, and punctuation problems exist. Organization throughout is a major issue. Worst of all, the placement of the photographs is random, confusing, and chaotic throughout the book, and the pictures selected commonly lack any connection to the topic being discussed. Overall, this volume has the appearance of a hastily assembled first draft that should have received much more editorial attention and organizational revision prior to publication.

At a time when the general public is increasingly aware of and intrigued by rock art and when site visitation is rising, Jones's humanistic appeal was written for a worthy cause. When conceived of and appreciated as art, these rock paintings and petroglyphs are perhaps a little less likely to attract graffiti. Although this potential outcome and the intent of the book are positive, it is disappointing that greater care and editorial oversight were not given to its preparation and production.