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American explorer and naturalist (1884–1960) whose far-flung adventures on archaeological expeditions in the Far East were said to have served as the inspiration for fictional screen hero Indiana Jones. TLS, one page, 7.25 x 10, Central Asiatic Expeditions of the American Museum of Natural History letterhead, February 11, 1929. Letter to Moses J. Eisenberg, in full: “Last year at the very end of the season we discovered just what we have been looking for — a great new area of Pliocene strata the right age to contain the bones of primitive man if he existed in Mongolia. In the western and northern Gobi, where we did our previous work, this strata is almost absent. We did not have time to do more than superficially explore the new region, but this season we shall study it carefully. All of us have great hopes for most important discoveries.
There is, moreover, what we believe to be a complete skeleton of our new monster. It is lying on its right side, with the hind limb exposed in a small ravine, and the fore leg in another, twenty-five feet away. If it is as complete as we expect, this will be one of the most important and spectacular specimens that the Expedition has thus far discovered. It requires so much special preparation for its removal that we had to leave it for the coming season.
In order to complete the Expedition satisfactorily we must have $100,000. Already enough money has been obtained to justify us in going into the field, but we need urgently the full amount. If you feel that you can assist us this year I shall be very grateful for any amount. We need it badly.” In fine condition.
Andrews, along with Henry Fairfield Osborn, was a proponent of the ‘Out of Asia’ theory of humanity's origins and led several expeditions to Asia from 1922 to 1928 known as the ‘Central Asiatic Expeditions’ to search for the earliest human remains in Asia. The expeditions did not find human remains, but Andrews and his team made many other significant discoveries, including dinosaur bones, fossil mammals, and the first nests containing dinosaur eggs ever discovered. Andrews' account of these expeditions can be found in his book The New Conquest of Central Asia.
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