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.
