Island at the Edge of the World

Mike Pitts has written the true and fascinating story of Easter Island and its amazing statues – Ken FollettA thought-provoking mix of published past and current work, and rediscovered documents that together provides a usefully different perspective on Rapa Nui’s iconic world heritage archaeology – Professor Sue HamiltonRapa Nui has a double history of early Polynesian life and later colonial devastation, both mythologised. Mike Pitts draws on deep research to provide a powerful corrective to such myths. Anyone looking for an intelligent, balanced and accessible account of Rapa Nui should read his book – Chris Gosden, author of THE HISTORY OF MAGICIn this detailed, intelligent, humane work, Pitts has given us a salutary corrective to centuries of Western prejudice and fantasy * Literary Review *A gripping story which, in a small way, redeems the horror of the Victorian brutality … [Pitts] is good at bringing alive human stories * Spectator *A bold and convincing revision of Rapa Nui’s history … A welcome contribution to Pacific Island history that holds relevance not just for Rapa Nui, but for other islands across this vast ocean * Kirkus *Revelatory … He offers a far more pragmatic but still fascinating explanation [of Easter Island’s history] … What Pitts describes is wholly convincing – Christopher Hart * Mail on Sunday *This striking account… [is] a stunning unravelling of many layers of hidden history * Publishers Weekly *

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.