In this richly illustrated biography, C. J. Cook reveals the remarkable life of Robert Lee Eskridge—painter, writer, and adventurer whose career spanned five decades and three oceans. Trained in Paris under Cubist master André Lhote, Eskridge carried the bold geometry of modernism into the South Pacific, blending Art Deco structure with the living rhythms of Polynesia.

Four journeys to Tahiti inspired his classic book Manga Reva: The Forgotten Islands (1931), where Art, travel, and firsthand cultural observation come together in vivid prose and illustration. In Hawaiʻi, Eskridge became a visual historian of island life before statehood, painting surfers, fishermen, paniolos, and hula dancers with clarity and respect.

From Tahiti to Hawaiʻi, Brazil, and beyond, Eskridge transformed travel into Art and curiosity into story. This engaging biography restores his place in Pacific art history and invites readers to rediscover an artist who captured the spirit of the islands with insight, adventure, and humanity.

344 pages and 509 images

Coming Summer 2026