Among Stone Giants:
The Life of Katherine Routledge and Her Remarkable Expedition to Easter Island.

Jo Anne Van Tilburg

Abstract:

The world's leading authority on the stone statues of Easter Island, Jo Anne Van Tilburg delivers a thrilling true-life tale of breathtaking adventure and legendary exploration.
Van Tilburg, a distinguished archaeologist in her own right, draws on nearly two decades of experience in the South Pacific, historical archives, and Katherine Routledge's own previously untapped journals and field notes to give us a fascinating biography of the first female archaeologist to excavated these world-famous monoliths. Written with the full cooperation of the Royal Geographical Society and the British Museum, this fascinating book transports readers to the South Pacific island of Rapa Nui (meaning "land's end"). There Routledge and her husband, co-leaders of the Mana Expedition of 1913, encountered a population recovering from near-extinction. "Mana" is the Polynesian name for "spiritual power," and Routledge, a Quaker overcome by the mysticism of the island and later diagnosed with schizophrenia, was deeply drawn to the customs and beliefs of these remarkable people.
Routledge's pioneering work preserved the faith and traditions of this prehistoric isle and laid the groundwork for modern archaeology. "Among Stone Giants" is an awe-inspiring testament to human courage, spirit, and achievement.

Bio:

Dr. Jo Anne Van Tilburg is currently a research associate of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA, director of UCLA's Rock Art Archive, director of the Easter Island Statue Project, and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. She is also a lecturer for the Archaeological Institute of America and the British Museum. The author of three previous books, she lives in Malibu.