Tiki E-Book Brings Stone Age into the Digital Age

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 26, 2009 4:40PM

Polynesian Pop expert James Teitelbaum is looking ahead at the same time he's looking back. His previous book, Tiki Road Trip 2, has proved invaluable for scouting out tropical vibes no matter where we happen to be. Thanks to Teitelbam's advice, during a recent trip we spent a wonderful evening at Los Angeles' legendary Tiki Ti (an upcoming Properly Sauced post will feature a facsimile of a drink we imbibed there.)

However, for his new tome, a history of Easter Island called Big Stone Head, the author decided to try something completely different. It's an e-book. You see, central to the sad tale of Easter Island is environmental catastrophe. Deforestation of the island, along with slave raids and a smallpox epidemic, caused a population collapse. 20,000 islanders eventually dwindled to only 110 survivors by 1877 (the current population is around 4,000). So going green with "a coffee table book for your computer screen," as Teitelbaum puts it, makes a lot of sense. You can buy a simple PDF download of the book or there's also a limited edition sold as a bamboo-encased thumb drive. Just stick it in your USB port and you're good to go.

But if you act fast you can get the extra-limited edition: a specially designed Big Stone Head tiki mug which features a slot in the handle for the thumb drive. Cowabunga, dude! We've been told there are only a few dozen mugs left, so don't delay.