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.
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'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
About the Author
Michael D. Coe is an international authority in Maya studies. Among his previous books are Breaking the Maya Code, The Maya and The Art of the Maya Scribe. Mark Van Stone is the world's leading interpreter of Maya calligraphic art.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By D. Wallace
Format:Hardcover
This is a very good book if you want to try to get your head around the resding of Mayan glyphs.
Be warned though this is not for the faint hearted, you will need to read this fairly closely and have it on hand when you encounter your glyphs on site. It is a very complex subject but it is reasionably easy to get to the point where you can read at least part of the inscriptions and adds an extra interest to any Mayan site. However a lot of the clearest glyps are to be found in museums in the Mayan area and in world museums, it helps to have a photocopy of a drawing done by a academic to see what the symbols are on site.
the good news is that the little tests set every few pages are a terrific boost to confidence as you work through it. So if you do go for it persevere and it will be rewarding.
David Wallace
Be warned though this is not for the faint hearted, you will need to read this fairly closely and have it on hand when you encounter your glyphs on site. It is a very complex subject but it is reasionably easy to get to the point where you can read at least part of the inscriptions and adds an extra interest to any Mayan site. However a lot of the clearest glyps are to be found in museums in the Mayan area and in world museums, it helps to have a photocopy of a drawing done by a academic to see what the symbols are on site.
the good news is that the little tests set every few pages are a terrific boost to confidence as you work through it. So if you do go for it persevere and it will be rewarding.
David Wallace
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Vergilius
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Beautiful book! The book is neatly typeset with the regular text in black, the mayan glyphs in maroon red, and to mark exercises a tasteful gray line. The book is bound in faux-leather cloth with golden letters on the back. Though not laid out as one would expect a book about a language and grammar to bee it does indeed tell about these features: but, perhaps due too the subjects history and decipherment, the language is explained after and on the basis of the hieroglyphic signs and not the other way around. What I miss in this book is paradigms. There are nowhere to bee seen anything like an overview of grammatical forms and I feel this can be somewhat boring for the language average nerd who want to read about the Maya language for the sake of the language in se, and not only merely to understand inscriptions.
The book does also contain explanations of the mayan calendar, as one would expect, but not only that but also cultural information that aids the understanding of signs and vocabulary that is introduced. In the back of the book is a table with all the syllabograms, i.e. all the consonant-vowel-signs, and thereafter in alphabetical order according to their reading a sign list and "glossary" of mayan. There's a key to all the exercises in the book, an index of all topics covered, and a somewhat too brief bibliography.
The book does also contain explanations of the mayan calendar, as one would expect, but not only that but also cultural information that aids the understanding of signs and vocabulary that is introduced. In the back of the book is a table with all the syllabograms, i.e. all the consonant-vowel-signs, and thereafter in alphabetical order according to their reading a sign list and "glossary" of mayan. There's a key to all the exercises in the book, an index of all topics covered, and a somewhat too brief bibliography.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By caroline
Format:Hardcover
I didn't give it five.......'coz'
I have it not learnt as yet how to read the hyrogliphs as yet. The secret is all there, waiting for me to unlock the mystmysteries.I think I'd better look at my own language.Nicely presented book.
I have it not learnt as yet how to read the hyrogliphs as yet. The secret is all there, waiting for me to unlock the mystmysteries.I think I'd better look at my own language.Nicely presented book.
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