Tuhoe - The Children Of The Mist : A Sketch Of The Origin, History, Myths And Beliefs Of The Tuhoe Tribe Of The Maori Of New Zealand; With Some Account Of Other Early Tribes Of The Bay Of Plenty District. [Two Volumes] Best, Elsdon

Some fading to spines and boards. Some foxing. An unnamed previous owner's inscription on front endpaper of Volume One "With best wishes / from the / Family / 11.11.43". A nice set of the two volume first edition of this sought after work. ; Two volumes (complete). Volume One: vii, [5], 1211 pages + 2 plates. Plates facing pages 11 and 37. Page dimensions: 214 x 134mm. Volume Two: 8 pages + 34 Genealogical Tables (4 folding) + [6] Index pages + 1 folding sheet with two maps (1 on each side of the sheet) in pocket at rear. Page dimensions: oblong 273 x 211mm. "Apirana Ngata once said of Best that 'it may be doubted whether he had the gift of condensation'; however, this reluctance to generalise was more than compensated for by the richness of detail, frequent use of personal anecdote and directness of voice that characterised his writing style. " - Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. One of the Best's major works. A "monumental study in 1200 pages of the traditional history and culture of the tribe with which he had spent so much of his life." - from Wikipedia entry on Elsdon Best, accessed 6 August 2012. Elsdon Best was an ethnologist at the Dominion Museum, Wellington, and for a time the President of the Polynesian Society. Series: Memoirs of the Polynesian Society, Volume 6. [Reference: Bagnall B756.]; Memoirs of the Polynesian Society. Vol. VI