Janita Ponze wrote:

> an anthropologist/archeologist/adventurer by the last name of
> Zaylor (spelling?) was mentioned as having contributed greatly
> to the early work around 1900.

I think you're probably refering to the great mesoamericanist
Eduard Seler.  Some of his most important papers were translated
into English and published in the Smithsonian Institution
Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 28, "Mexican and Central
American Antiquities, Calendar Systems, and History".  There
are many copies floating around in libraries, and it was
re-published by Blaine Etheridge Books (Detroit).  Both are
out of print.

Seler's life work was collected and published in "Gesammelte
Abhandlungen zur Amerikanischen Sprach- und Alterthumskunde",
a five volume set originally published between the turn of the
century and 1928.  This had been reprinted in German, but fortunately
is available in English translation as "Collected Works in Mesoamerican
Linguistics and Archaeology".  The publisher is Labryinthos Books.
Their address is listed as 6355 Green Valley Circle #213, Culver City,
CA 90230, but I know that the publisher/editor Frank Comparato has
moved; I would guess his mail is being forwarded.  Four of Six
anticipated volumes have been published to date, they're about $50
each.  The collection includes everything from the original 5 volume
german work except the papers found in BAE Bulletin 28, and will
include additional papers not found in the original Collected Works.

Another masterwork in Spanish translation titled "Comentarios al Codice
Borgia" was published by Fondo Cultura Economica (Mexico 1963) in three
volumes, including photos of the work.  Also check out my web page at
http://pages.prodigy.com/GBonline/awborgia.html

> I am also interested in another adventurer/social scientist whose last name
> is Mason and was involved in early Mayan/Olmec studies.  He was also a spy.

If you learn anything more about this, I'd like to hear about it.
I was very surprised to learn that Sylvanus Griswold Morley was
involved in covert operations for US Navy Intelligence.  This is
documented in the book "Unfinished Conversations: Mayas and
Foreigners Between Two Wars" by Paul Sullivan, publisher Knopf
(1989).  I don't know if we're talking about the same guy.

> Finally, I would appreciate recommendations on a book or resource that
> short biographical essays about or essays by some of these significant...

"Handbook of the Middle American Indians", Volume 13, "Guide to
Ethnohistorical Sources, Part Two" published by the University of
Texas Press has a nice article by H.B. Nicholson on Seler.
(the same article was republished in Volume One of the
english translation of the Abhandlungen mentioned above).

An author with short biographies on a variety of Mayanists is
Robert L Brunhouse.  I have "Pursuit of the Ancient Maya"
(University of New Mexico Press, 1975), and "In Search of the
Maya" (originally University of New Mexico Press, 1973; I have
Ballantine Books paperback 1974).  He doesn't cover Seler (probably
because Seler was much more than a Mayanist) but they're both
good books.

There's a lot of information to tackle in the books I've mentioned,
but you can look forward to many hours of pleasurable reading.
Seler was incredible, and I encourage you to seek out Bulletin 28
and the Collected Works in english.
--
regards,
Gary Bennett
GBonline@ix.netcom.com | http://pages.prodigy.com/GBonline
===============================================================

Frank Camparato's new address is:

        Labryinthos Books
        3064 Holline Court
        Lancaster, CA 93535-4910

Jack Sulak