Island at the Edge of the World
The Forgotten History of Easter Island
1st Edition
Published on 11. September 2025
384 pages
978-1-5266-6724-3 (ISBN)
Description
'The true and fascinating story of Easter Island and its amazing statues' KEN FOLLETT
'Revelatory... fascinating... [and] wholly convincing' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'Compelling ... a magisterial history' NEW YORK TIMES
Where did they come from? How did they get there? Why did they carve the island's colossal statues? And what happened to the civilisation that raised them?
For centuries, Easter Island - or Rapa Nui - has been cloaked in mystery and speculation.
Now, in his revelatory investigation, archaeologist Mike Pitts unearths a powerful new history of the island, its people and the events that led to its downfall. Bringing to light the latest scientific and archaeological discoveries, Pitts also revives the work of pioneering anthropologist Katherine Routledge, whose priceless research has long been ignored.
Bold, surprising and utterly gripping, Island at the Edge of the World overturns everything we thought we knew about Rapa Nui and where the blame for its devastation truly lies.
'Revelatory... fascinating... [and] wholly convincing' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'Compelling ... a magisterial history' NEW YORK TIMES
Where did they come from? How did they get there? Why did they carve the island's colossal statues? And what happened to the civilisation that raised them?
For centuries, Easter Island - or Rapa Nui - has been cloaked in mystery and speculation.
Now, in his revelatory investigation, archaeologist Mike Pitts unearths a powerful new history of the island, its people and the events that led to its downfall. Bringing to light the latest scientific and archaeological discoveries, Pitts also revives the work of pioneering anthropologist Katherine Routledge, whose priceless research has long been ignored.
Bold, surprising and utterly gripping, Island at the Edge of the World overturns everything we thought we knew about Rapa Nui and where the blame for its devastation truly lies.
More details
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
ISBN-13
978-1-5266-6724-3 (9781526667243)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
09/2025
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
€31.50
Available immediately
Person
Mike Pitts is an archaeologist, journalist and author of multiple books on archaeology. He has written for The Times, Telegraph, Sunday Times, Observer and Guardian, and many magazines including New Scientist and BBC History. He edited British Archaeology magazine for twenty years and continues to conduct original archaeological research which has been published in several peer-reviewed journals. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
Content
- Cover
- Half Title
- Series Page
- Title
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Part I Part: Prey
- 1 First Contact : Extremely Fertile Due to Farming
- 2 Disruption : In the Service of the Company
- Chapter 3 The Fall : Like a Millstone to the Bottom of the Sea
- Part II Part: Post-mortem
- 4 The Mana Departs : Stormiest Seas in the World
- 5 The Routledges in Rapa Nui : Intensely Strange
- 6 The Mana Returns : A Pity to Remain Unpublished
- 7 The Routledges Apart : All My Memoranda
- 8 War, Hunger and Destruction : Twilight at Easter
- Part III Part: Life
- 9 Polynesians and Native Americans : Finding Rapa Nui
- 10 Rocks, Trees and Gardens : Making a New Home
- 11 Quarries, Roads and Plinths : An Island of Statues
- 12 Political Theatre : Life, Death and Volcanoes
- 13 The Enigma of Aliens : Birds, Chants and a Statue
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgements
- Images
- Abbreviations
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
- A Note on the Author
- A Note on the Type
