ROUTLEDGE, Mrs Scoresby.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Mystery of Easter Island. The Story of an Expedition. First edition of the first scientific, archaeological, and anthropological survey of Easter Island, which was carried out by the British archaeologist Katherine Routledge (1866-1935) and her husband William between March 1914 and August 1915. The pair, both experienced anthropologists, travelled to the island on a 90-foot schooner, the Mana, and were funded by the British Museum and Royal Geographical Society. During their influential expedition the couple excavated over 30 moai, and recorded various legends and oral histories, including that of Hotu Matua, the "Birdman" cult. The results of their expedition are considered "still eminent in their field" (Robinson, p. 148). It proved popular and a revised second edition was published the following year.

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