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

by Jo Anne Van Tilburg, Andrew Tatham (Foreword)

Katherine Routledge is a central figure in the history of Easter Island, one of the world's most remote and mysterious locales. Born to a wealthy and prestigious English Quaker family in 1866, Katherine rebelled against Victorian values, becoming one of the first female graduates of Oxford University and the first woman archaeologist to work in Polynesia. From 1913 to 1915, Katherine and her husband, Australian adventurer William Scoresby Routledge, led the Mana Expedition to Easter Island, where Katherine conducted the first ever excavations of the island's world-famous stone statues. Katherine collected vast quantities of new information, and through interviews with dozens of elderly men and women, she was able to save the history of the island, whose population was struggling back from the brink of extinction. Without Katherine's extraordinary efforts, Easter Island's traditional beliefs and customs would have been forever lost. Many of Katherine's papers were thought to be lost until they were discovered by Jo Anne Van Tilburg, the contemporary world's leading authority on the Easter Island statues. In this compelling biography, Dr. Van Tilburg brings her unique expertise to Katherine Routledge's discoveries and to her turbulent life. The result is an exciting personal story, set against the drama of Katherine's remarkable exploration of one of the most intriguing archaeological sites in the world.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Womens

368 pages, Hardcover

First published April 21, 2003

Reviews

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

The overlapping stories of this anthropologist and the people of Easter Island captured my imagination. The modern history of the local people may be even more fascinating than the history of their ancestors.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sounds more interesting than it turned out to be.

[lara phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

wanted to like it more then I did, but still not bad. wanted it to be more about what she actually discovered/researched written for a layman, rather than about her family background. Still, a solid bio if you're interested in the subject.

[J. Gaudet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent accounting of the voyage, however I find it ironic that no one on the expedition understood why the Islanders kept trying to hide the statue, that was eventually taken off the island, known as "The Stolen Friend."

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is the most striking about this book is the amount and calibre of the research done by the author. Truly amazing.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Van Tilburg creates a sympathetic portrait of Routledge's longing for knowledge, her courage, and her painful affliction with mental illness. The writing was beautifully crafted at the sentence level, but it was sometimes hard to follow the larger organization. Understandably, though, it is challenging to reduce someone's life to fluent order. I wish there had been more about her time on Easter Island. However, as Van Tilburg points out, there is Routledge's own, still informative, study.

[Jenn Kause · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great analysis of her work in an insightful way that shows both the positive and negative effects of her presence on the island. Read more about the Easter Island research rather than the beginning and the end discussing her divorce, but overall a well written book that flowed and gave insight to her interesting archaeological pursuit and passion for people.

[Laura June · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing story of a strong woman who battled mental illness for most of her life and didn't let it slow her down. She followed her dream to Easter Island. I do wish there was more about her time on Easter Island, what she felt not just what she worked on, but still a great story.

[Gemutlichkeit · Rating 4 out of 5]

So so good. Learned so much. Highly recommend if you have an interest in archeology, female bad-asses, Polynesian (specifically Easter Island) culture, Quakerism, and/or perhaps even a touch of schizophrenia.

[Clive Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story of her expedition

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting book!!

And Easter Island is in the news lately too. Now I want to visit the island, the natives call it Rapa Nui.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. a great insight into the history of easter Island. having visited in 2017, it really added to my impressions of this unique island.

[Kai Sousa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autographed copy. Excellent history of Easter Island.