Customer Reviews

Alfred Maudslay and the Maya: A Biography

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A long overdue biography of the great mayanist traveller, explorer and early archaeologist. Graham does a good job of weaving together information from personal interviews, letters, journals and notes. I found it a highly readable and informative account of his life and accomplishments. It lends a human touch to a name which comes up over and over in reading on the ancient Maya. It also provides a fascinating early travelogue of central america 50 years after Stephens and Catherwood. Graham has a keen appreciation of the challenges Maudslay faced in his self appointed task of recording as many mayan monuments and inscriptions as he could, a career path which indeed echoes his own.

Ian Graham's intelligent and accessible biography of the great Mayanist Alfred Maudslay is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of archaeology in the Maya region. Graham helps you see the difficulty and cost, both financial and personal, that this kind of obsession creates, making Maudslay's work that much more compelling. The only downside (smile) to reading this book is that you may be forced (forced!) as I was, to find a decent and expensive copy of the Maudslay archaeology volumes of Biologia Centrali-Americana, which becomes a must-have, once you've read Graham.