Reading the Maya Glyphs - Tapa dura

'This volume is the best single introduction to Maya writing, one of the most beautiful but difficult scripts in the world. Professor Coe distils the latest knowledge and presents it with grace, balance and clarity... if the reader wants to understand Maya writing - and begin a fascinating conversation with the past - then this is the book to buy' - Stephen Houston, Jesse Knight University Professor, Brigham Young University

In the recent past, a working knowledge of the Maya script has been confined to epigraphers, art historians and other specialists. Its very unfamiliarity to the general public, and the daunting aspect of its approximately 800 signs, have made the system appear more complex and arcane than it really is. Reading the Maya Glyphs is a compact, portable guide to enable students, tourists and armchair travellers to read and understand commonly encountered Classic Maya texts. Topics covered include the nature of the script, the intricate Maya calendar, dynastic and political texts, and every aspect of the natural and supernatural world in which they lived. Written by the world's leading authority in Maya studies, Michael D. Coe, and illustrated by the drawings of Mark Van Stone, one of America's outstanding calligraphers, the book presupposes no previous training in Maya epigraphy or archaeology. Whether in the hands of visitors to the great Maya sites of Mexico and Central America or consulted by museum-goers, this guide should enhance their appreciation some of the world's greatest art and architecture.