Books by Alfred Metraux
“Metraux records a lot of details, oral traditions, culture, and some observations about archaeology. It’s a compendium of as much information as he could gather…I like it as an early work, because it’s detailed, and he recognized what later writers did not: the tragedy that was brought by European contact. In fact, he refers to this as one of the most tragic stories in the Pacific. That insight at that early date is really valuable, something that was ignored by authors in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.” Read more...
The best books on Easter Island
Terry Hunt, Historian
Interviews where books by Alfred Metraux were recommended
-
1
The Mystery of Easter Island
by Katherine Routledge -
2
Ethnology of Easter Island
by Alfred Metraux -
3
Te Pito Te Henua, Or Easter Island
by William J. Thomson -
4
The Survival of Easter Island: Dwindling Resources and Cultural Resilience
by Jan Boersema -
5
Stanley’s Dream: The Medical Expedition to Easter Island
by Jacalyn Duffin
The best books on Easter Island, recommended by Terry Hunt
The best books on Easter Island, recommended by Terry Hunt
Remote and romanticised, Easter Island – or Rapa Nui – has often been misportrayed as a mysterious site of ecocidal ruin. Terry Hunt chooses five books that paint a truer picture of the island’s history, from the accounts of early voyages to the pressures of joining the modern world. The tale that emerges is one of ingenuity, resilience, and mighty ‘statues that walked’ – as well as a lot of rats.
