Customer Reviews

Songs of Ancient Journeys: Animals in Rock Art

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Songs of Ancient Journeys" (isbn #0807615587) is a happy 'pairing' of author Elsa Marston with publisher George Braziller. Her readers are doubly fortunate because Braziller also published her 2005 book "Figs and Fate" (isbn #0807615544: see i-10-06 review).

These two books are handsomely presented by the designers and showcase the author's wide interests. She has written extensively for many years about the human condition & politics in the Middle East; has played with fantasy for young readers as, for example, in "The Runaway Gazebo" (isbn #0688102824); and in mystery, "the Cliffs of Cairo" (isbn #0451115309).

"Animals in Rock Art" (subtitle) is a departure, not a lengthy dissertation by any means, but is Marston's effective presentation of her response to exploration of the desert southwest & new experiments with poetry (thus the "Songs" of this title). She salutes many different animals that were depicted in rock carvings and pictographs by ancient artists.

Historians & archaeologists still puzzle over the significance of these images - - as will all the readers of this book. The impressive photographs and the poems each play a part in stimulating our imaginations & will doubtless inspire our own explorations into a wider knowledge of desert ecology and Native American mythology. Reviewer mcHAIKU predicts that most readers will find themselves enlarging upon Elsa Marston's thoughts of our inter-relationships on this planet by taking their own leaps of imagination, humor and whimsy.

The author appears to hold the key to unlocking her thoughts of the universe combined with a beautiful facility for writing these down almost in journal fashion. She must receive a deep satisfaction while delighting her unseen audience at the same time.