Art of the Maya Scribe

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Summary: Brilliant Deciphering of Mayan Calligraphy
Review: Many calligraphic traditions, such as Egyptian, East Asian, Islamic, and Western European, have been long studied and are generally well understood. However, much less attention has been given to Mayan calligraphy (from the South Americas). This magnificent book seeks to rectify the imbalance with an insightful, well written account of not only the meaning of Mayan calligraphy, but also its remarkable aesthetics.

The Mayans seem to have written on everything: seashells, jaguar skins, walls, rocks, wood, pottery, dishes, vases, caves, etc. The book beautifully reproduces and deciphers these writings, many for the first time. The world that emerges is neither Eastern nor Western, spiritual yet at the same time profoundly secular.

The Maya lowlands were known as "The Land of the Red and the Black," because their books were written with red and black pigments. Reproductions of some of their finest books are included here, though tragically, many of their books were destroyed.

The Mayans still have a lot to teach us. This book offers the curious reader an essential foundation for understanding a brilliant, often neglected civilization.

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Summary: An exceptional look at the world of the Maya artist.
Review: Sumptuous, a true visual feast, Michael Coe's foray into the world of the Maya artist reveals the talents and personalities of the Maya scribes. Lushly illustrated by Justin Kerr, the world's foremost photographer of Precolumbian art, this coffeetable-style book looks at what scholars understand about the individuals who created the Maya's sculptural and painted repertoir. Coe brings his knowledge of hieroglyphic writing to bear on this previously little-known subject, revealing the names and titles of Maya artists and other significant facts. Following in the tradition of his best-selling BREAKING THE MAYA CODE, which describes the scholarly-community's halting attempts at decipherment, Coe relies heavily on cutting-edge breakthroughs in reading Maya script. But more than this, he demonstrates an ecellent knowledge of art history and archaeology, setting forth quite a rich array of information. A fine book by one of the great Precolumbian scholars of all time, amply supplemented with line drawings and an effective design strategy.

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Summary: A partnership of scholars and thrilling photography .
Review: This is a truly amazing trip through the minds of the ancient Maya who wrote in an elegant and complex system. Michael Coe clarifies and demystifies the beautiful texts on all forms of media; ceramic, stone, shell etc. But best of all, Justin Kerr's photographs are a thrilling excursion into the realms of an exotic society. This partnership of scholars enables the reader to sit back and explore the depths of the beauty and intellectual achievements of an ancient culture. Frankly, I was blown away!

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Summary: Gorgeous pictures and illuminating writing
Review: This is an amazingly beautiful book both visually and because of the way the articles accompanying these glorious pictures illuminate our understanding of the role of the scribe in the Mayan culture and how they worked. The images provided are simply exquisite and well chosen. It is impossible for me to flip to a page and not learn or see something new even after owning this book and looking at it for several years. There is just so much here that even as your eyes become familiar with it, you begin to see more deeply into it.

The authors show us how the writing developed, matured, and how the scribal tradition passed away. They also show us how western scholars tried to deal with this writing before the great decipherment happened in the second half of the twentieth century.

Yes, this can make a gorgeous coffee table book and can spark much discussion, but unlike books found on such tables, this one deserves to be read closely and multiple times. It is a book I treasure deeply.