Overview

In 1839, rumors of extraordinary yet baffling stone ruins buried within the unmapped jungles of Central America reached two of the world’s most intrepid travelers. Seized by the reports, American diplomat John Lloyd Stephens and British artist Frederick Catherwood sailed out of New York Harbor on an expedition into the forbidding rainforests of present-day Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. What they found would rewrite the West’s understanding of human history. In the tradition of Lost City of Z and In the Kingdom of Ice, former San Francisco Chronicle journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist William Carlsen reveals the extraordinary story of the discovery of the ancient Maya. Enduring disease, war, and the torments of nature and terrain, Stephens and Catherwood meticulously uncovered and documented the remains of an astonishing civilization that had flourished in the Americas at the same time as classic Greece and Rome—and had been its rival in art, architecture, and power. Their remarkable book about the experience, written by Stephens and illustrated by Catherwood, became a sensation, hailed by Edgar Allan Poe as “perhaps the most interesting book of travel ever published” and recognized today as the birth of American archaeology. Most important, Stephens and Catherwood were the first to grasp the significance of the Mayan remains, understanding that their antiquity and sophistication overturned the West’s assumptions about the development of civilization. Based on Carlsen’s rigorous research and his own 2,500-mile journey throughout the Yucatan and Central America, Jungle of Stone is equally a thrilling adventure narrative and a revelatory work of history that corrects our understanding of Stephens, Catherwood, and the Maya themselves.

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9780062407405

Table of Contents

Reviews

The book succeeds in all ways. ... A highly readable, fascinating historical narrative. -- Providence Journal Carlsen's cogent and well-written dual biography successfully illuminates the fascinating tale of these intrepid pioneers of a lost civilization. ... [An] adventure tale that make[s] Indiana Jones seem tame. -- Library Journal [A] gripping, informative history. -- San Jose Mercury News Thrilling. ... A captivating history of two men who dramatically changed their contemporaries' view of the past. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Lively. ... Ably researching [Stephens and Catherwood] and affectingly describing their friendship, Carlsen makes an exemplary contribution to the lost-cities genre. -- Booklist (starred review) Jungle of Stone is a tale of two men that makes Indiana Jones look like a stay-at-home slacker. ... Full of astonishing adventures and breathtaking discoveries. ... [Carlsen] brings both research skills and a gift for narrative to this book. ... Thrilling. -- Tampa Bay Times Carlsen is an engaging guide, at home in the jungle. ... There's plenty to like in [his] account. -- Wall Street Journal Carlsen's masterful chronicle of [Stephens and Catherwood's] explorations is a welcome excursion to a fascinating story set in the golden age of exploration. -- The Missourian With verve and vigor... Carlsen finely explicates the challenges of the Catherwood-Stephens expedition and the wonders they found. -- Publishers Weekly If you're hankering for a good adventure, there is no better book this spring. ... This account reads like an adventure novel, but it has the added benefit of being completely true. Armchair explorers, history buffs, and anyone who loves a good journey: Don't miss this book. -- Bookish

The book succeeds in all ways. ... A highly readable, fascinating historical narrative. -- Providence Journal Carlsen's cogent and well-written dual biography successfully illuminates the fascinating tale of these intrepid pioneers of a lost civilization. ... [An] adventure tale that make[s] Indiana Jones seem tame. -- Library Journal [A] gripping, informative history. -- San Jose Mercury News Thrilling. ... A captivating history of two men who dramatically changed their contemporaries' view of the past. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Lively. ... Ably researching [Stephens and Catherwood] and affectingly describing their friendship, Carlsen makes an exemplary contribution to the lost-cities genre. -- Booklist (starred review) Jungle of Stone is a tale of two men that makes Indiana Jones look like a stay-at-home slacker. ... Full of astonishing adventures and breathtaking discoveries. ... [Carlsen] brings both research skills and a gift for narrative to this book. ... Thrilling. -- Tampa Bay Times Carlsen is an engaging guide, at home in the jungle. ... There's plenty to like in [his] account. -- Wall Street Journal Carlson's book brings these important explorers back to the limelight they so richly deserve. -- The Explorers Journal: The Official Quarterly of The Explorers Club Carlsen's masterful chronicle of [Stephens and Catherwood's] explorations is a welcome excursion to a fascinating story set in the golden age of exploration. -- The Missourian With verve and vigor... Carlsen finely explicates the challenges of the Catherwood-Stephens expedition and the wonders they found. -- Publishers Weekly If you're hankering for a good adventure, there is no better book this spring. ... This account reads like an adventure novel, but it has the added benefit of being completely true. Armchair explorers, history buffs, and anyone who loves a good journey: Don't miss this book. -- Bookish

Author Information

William Carlsen is a journalist and writer who has worked for the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle, and has taught journalism at San Francisco State University and the University of California at Berkeley. He was a finalist for the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory writing for a series of articles on the AIDS crisis.

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