Prologue: Ephraim George Squier and the history of American anthropology
Literary ambitions : the genesis of an anthropologist
In search of the mound builders : the Squier-Davis association
Archaeology and the Smithsonian Institution : editing and publishing the Squier-Davis manuscript
Interpreting the mound builders : the archaeology of Squier and Davis
Revisiting the mounds : the Iroquois and the archaeology of western New York
The burden of proof : American Indian traditions and the Walam Olum
Idols and Indians : the archaeology and ethnology of Nicaragua
The mind of man : the serpent symbol and the reciprocal principles of nature
Nahua nations and migrations : the archaeology and ethnology of Honduras and San Salvador
Ancient Peru : an indigenous civilization
The science of men and nations : Ephraim George Squier and the American school of ethnology
Epilogue : insanity and the "eclipse of genius".