Bone Voyage: A Journey in Forensic Anthropology (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an enormous contribution to the forensic anthropology literature." (Anthropology Review Database )

Product Description

A husband preserved in mothballs, a vigilante victim encased in red mud, and convicts beaten and burned in a prison riot are only a few of the cases of death examined here by forensic anthropologist Stanley Rhine. Drawing on cases he worked for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, Rhine demonstrates how unidentified skeletal remains indicate race, sex, age, height, and ultimately identity and how the specialist decodes skeletal anomalies to establish cause of death. Blunt trauma, gunshot and knife wounds, and other injuries receive his attention.

Step by step the author explains the techniques used to solve forensic mysteries. At the end of each case, he explains what lessons the forensic anthropologist learns from the bones. Rhine also explores specific problems and tasks: working mass disasters; recovering bodies from the field; defleshing bones; examining charred and badly decomposed remains; testifying before juries; and others.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 290 pages
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press; 1 edition (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082631967X
• ISBN-13: 978-0826319678
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,937,805 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book by a good teacher of forensic anthropology, October 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bone Voyage: A Journey in Forensic Anthropology (Paperback)

I am biased--Stan Rhine was a professor of mine at UNM. His book reads much like his delivery in class. Stan is an excellent storyteller and a solid forensic anthropologist. His 30+ years as a forensic investiagtor have led him into many adventures. The best of these he relates in this book. I myself have handled the skeletal evidence from some of these cases. While his investigations lack the notariety of say, Clyde Snow's or Bill Maples', the experiences are no less entertaining. I heartily recommend this book for its subtle humor and educational value.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Bone Voyage" Definitely worth your reading time, July 16, 2001

By	Andrea N. LaDelia (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bone Voyage: A Journey in Forensic Anthropology (Paperback)

"Bone Voyage" is absolutely one of the best books on Forensic Anthropology that I've ever read! I was very impressed with the detail, and every base was covered, from balistics to the examination of the criminal mind. This book had some pictures, I would have liked more, but with the descriptions given by the author, I guess more pictures would not have been necessary. The book was broken down in to a lot of short chapters dealing with one case per chapter, unlike several books I've read where it's just one long run on of several different cases. This book was very organized in its writing and its reading. I've read a lot of books on the subject of Forensic Anthropology, and this book is definitely worth another reading. DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, informational, morbidly funny, May 2, 2002

By	ihgmd2b "iharwayn" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bone Voyage: A Journey in Forensic Anthropology (Paperback)

For those of you interested in working in the field of forensics (a seemingly popular job choice in recent times), this book is a must read. Rhine engages the reader by telling a number of tales; for example, the puzzling discovery of a body that looked female, but wearing male clothes, and how he determined the sex of the individual. He even tells us in a quite funny essay how he made enemies of the museum staff by boiling off the soft tissue of a body and causing people to vomit on the museum floor.

All in all, a very practical view into the field. Rhine does not attempt to romanticize the profession; he merely tells his stories the way they should be told- very matter of factly. The book is funny at times, but his humor does not overshadow the information conveyed here.