In 1839, John Lloyd Stephens, U.S. special ambassador to Central America, and Frederick Catherwood, a British architect and draftsman, marched into the Yucatan's uncharted jungles to do a little exploring and discovered astonishing ruins of the Mayan civilization—1,500-year-old temples and pyramids rivaling Egypt's, plus evidence of advanced art, writing, and science. Pulitzer Prize finalist Carlsen reconstructs the journey. Lots of in-house love for this one; with a 75,000-copy first printing.

Journalist Carlsen examines the adventurous lives of American diplomat, lawyer, and explorer John Lloyd Stephens (1805–52), and British artist and architect Frederick Catherwood (1799–1854), whose many grueling archaeological expeditions through the dangerous jungles of Central America were among the first to document the majestic ruins of the Maya civilization. Stephens and Catherwood's investigation of then-unknown Mayan sites such as Copán and Palenque proved the existence of a highly sophisticated ancient indigenous civilization that challenged 19th-century views on Western cultural superiority. Combining Stephens's travel writing and Catherwood's masterly illustrations, books such as Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan, as well as a later volume, became best sellers that introduced a mysterious, hidden world to an avid audience. VERDICT Carlsen's cogent and well-written dual biography successfully illuminates the fascinating tale of these intrepid pioneers of a lost civilization. For recreational readers or researchers interested in the rediscovery of Mayan culture, the history and archaeology of Central America, or archaeological adventure tales that make Indiana Jones seem tame. Readers may also enjoy the original works of Stephens and Catherwood. [See Prepub Alert, 8/31/15.]—Ingrid Levin, Salve Regina Univ. Lib., Newport, RI

Journalist Carlsen travels through Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, tracing the footsteps of Frederick Catherwood and John Lloyd Stephens, the amateur archaeologists whose 1839 expedition offered Euro-Americans their earliest awareness of Mayan civilization. At the time, the cultural and religious chauvinism of whites on both sides of the Atlantic encouraged the view that indigenous Americans had been nothing more than "primitive, inferior people." But Stephens and Catherwood's journey, as described through their pivotal writings, provided irrefutable evidence the Maya had created "one of the most sophisticated early civilizations on earth" and forced their readers to rethink basic assumptions about race, culture, and evolution. Carlsen depicts the two men's arduous expedition with verve and vigor, though some readers may find that the book's staccato narrative structure doesn't do the material justice. The book would also have been strengthened by at least a brief engagement with the longer history of European encounters with Central America; Hernán Cortés and his conquistadors had been dazzled by Aztec culture early in the 16th century, so at least some Europeans were aware that indigenous Central Americans were not savages. Nonetheless, Carlsen finely explicates the challenges of the Catherwood-Stephens expedition and the wonders they found. Agent: Geri Thoma, Writers House. (Apr.)