Love's Obsession is the story of a brilliant yet flawed individual, a man with a passionate devotion to the island of Cyprus and its archaeology. Damaged by his time as a German prisoner of war and obsessed by the need to own the past, Jim Stewart was the first person to teach archaeology at an Australian university. Although archaeology was moving from the private pastime of wealthy men to a professional academic pursuit, Stewart was never able to completely make this transition.
The story is also that of his wife, Eve. Devoted to his memory and herself trained as an archaeologist, she worked for nearly fifty years after his death - living alone in a dilapidated house in a village on the edge of the Blue Mountains - to complete her husband's work and ensure his legacy.
Based on never-before seen personal papers,
Love's Obsession is a fine addition to the story of archaeology in Australia, and a vivid portrayal of love and devotion, of obsession and determination.
Praise for Love's Obsession:
'
Love’s Obsession is amusing, informative, engagingly written and scandalous without ever being prurient. Some readers might even end the book with a lump in their throats. They will certainly be better informed about two powerful forces in academic archaeology’s birth and early development in Australia.' - Andrew Sneddon,
Australian Archaeology
'A worthy addition to the history of archaeology in Australia and a vivid portrayal of love, devotion, obsession and determination.' - Nic Klaassen,
Flinders Ranges Research
'Far from a dry tome on archaeology, here are all the ingredients of a good story; exotic locations, colourful characters, a love story, four years in a prisoner of war camp in Germany, and the overriding determination of both Jim and Eve Stewart to put their craft "on the map" in Australia.' - Mary Ann Elliott,
The Chronicle, Toowoomba
'Powell has an easy facility to draw landscapes and periods in word-images and to portray her characters dispassionately and objectively. While well documented, her book makes light and entertaining reading for specialists and the general public alike.' - Janette Holcomb,
Journal of Australian Colonial History
Judy Powell is an archaeologist and historian with a PhD in classical archaeology. Judy has worked on excavations in Cyprus, Greece, Jordan, and was a Fellow at the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens. She has undertaken a range of Indigenous and historical archaeology projects in the course of over fifteen years in the cultural heritage and museum sector in Queensland. She is an adjunct lecturer in the Archaeology program at The University of Queensland. Judy lives in the Sunshine Coast hinterland with a placid and ever-expanding family of kangaroos.
Hear Philip Adams talk with Judy Powell on ABC Radio National, Late Night Live by clicking
here.
