Tatiana Proskouriakoff: Interpreting the Ancient Maya
by Char Solomon

Proskouriakoff was a pioneering woman in the field of Maya archaeology. She devoted her career to interpreting the art, architecture, and hieroglyphic writing system of the ancient Maya. Several films have explored her impact on this field: one by National Geographic titled "Code of the Maya Kings," and more recently, "Breaking the Maya Code," by David LeBrun and Nightfire Films which aired on PBS' Nova series. In May 2009, California State University hosted a Mesoamerican conference as an homage to Proskouriakoff. It honored the centennial of her birth in Tomsk, Siberia January 23, 1909.

"A new biography of this amazing scholar is sure to fascinate readers...[it] wins over the reader with a compelling portrait of one of archaeology's most important early personalities." Traci Arden, Jan-Feb 2003 Archaeology Magazine,

"A straightforward biography of a towering figure in Americanist research, examined through her personal diaries and through the recollections of people who knew and worked with her. In a way, it is a study of how one woman managed to change an entire field of research that was for most of its history a man's territory...Anyone interested in Maya research and in the study of the ancient New World should find this fascinating." Yale scholar, Michael Coe.

"In tracing out the course of Proskouriakoff's life and career, this biography does not present us with [her] finished masterpieces...Instead we see those works in progress. We see the highs and lows of Proskouriakoff's academic and personal life. Her insecurities, and self-doubt, her desire...not to hurt the feelings of her friends and colleagues. Her love of family and friends, and the difficult personal and professional choices she made throughout her life, make Proskouriakoff a human figure with whom anyone can relate." (Charles Golden, Ethnohistory 51:2)

"If you're in a women's book club that needs a good selection for March - Women's History Month - consider "Tatiana Proskouriakoff." The title is a mouthful. But the book is a concise, moving account of a Russian-born American who made a huge mark in the male-dominated field of Maya studies." (Sam Hodges, Book Editor, The Charlotte Observer, March 7, 2004.)

"This intimate biography of a revered scholar in Mayan studies describes the problems and pleasures of archaeological fieldwork, the organization of research, and the personalities of well-known archaeologists...The book will attract general readers and anyone interested in the ancient Maya." (September 2003 issue of "Choice," publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries.)