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Michael D. Coe

Art of the Maya Scribe Hardcover – February 1, 1998

by Michael Coe (Author)

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Two experts decipher Mayan writing in terms of its meaning and aesthetics, counting it as one of the world's great calligraphic traditions. Coe (anthropology emeritus, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale U.) and Kerr, whose rollout camera revolutionized the study of Mayan pictorial ceramics and their texts, explore the script's origins, character, and writing techniques as well as the exalted world of the Maya artist-scribes who kept the holy books. Escribanos continued the role, though not the hieroglyphics, in post-conquest Mexico. Includes 117 color plates, other text figures, and notes on a type of Maya Rosetta Stone. 9.75x13<">. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Harry N. Abrams
Publication date

February 1, 1998
Grade level

8 and up
Reading age

13 years and up
Dimensions

9.75 x 1 x 13 inches
ISBN-10

0810919885
ISBN-13

978-0810919884
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gorgeously illustrated and relating a fascinating linguistic tale, this look at the art of classic Maya scribes by anthropologist Coe and photographer Kerr includes the latest research into the deciphering of this mysterious writing. Maya scribes were both men and women, the authors write, and were much appreciated in a world where literature, art and mathematics had achieved unusual heights. The Classic Maya period lasted from about A.D. 250 until about A.D. 900, and its cities included Palenque in Mexico, Tikal in Guatemala and Copan in Honduras. Although the Olmecs in Mexico were the first in the hemisphere to have writing, the Maya, according to the authors, were "the only pre-conquest people in the New World to have a writing system sophisticated enough to express anything that was in their language." Maya writing, carved on stones such as jade, traced on pottery or painted on walls, deals almost exclusively with historical events--notably the constant wars waged between the city-states. Mythical characters appear, but mostly as part of paintings that represent actual historical figures, their places in the rich dreamworld of the Maya as well as where they rank in the pecking order of their cities indicated by fantastic headdresses. The authors mostly manage to keep the discussion accessible to the lay reader, but occasionally they do veer off into territory where only linguists would feel at home. Generally, the explanations are clear and compelling and the concrete examples of how Maya language developed and was rendered into art by scribes will shed light not only on language but on history and culture.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harry N. Abrams; First Thus edition (February 1, 1998)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0810919885
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0810919884
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 years and up
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 8 and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.58 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.75 x 1 x 13 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,401,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #48 in Illuminations Art
- #4,918 in Archaeology (Books)
- #11,064 in Arts & Photography Criticism

Customer Reviews:
12 ratings

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About the author

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Michael D. Coe

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Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Yale University, Michael D. Coe is a specialist in the comparative study of ancient, tropical forest civilizations. Coe's books include The Maya, Mexico, The True History of Chocolate, Breaking the Maya Code, Reading the Maya Glyphs, and Angkor and the Khmer Civilization.

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AjMaar

Very good product exactly as advertised

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 7, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is a great book and the condition was as exactly described. Very fast shipping and enjoying it very much!

Helpful

Gorgeous pictures and illuminating writing

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 15, 2003

Verified Purchase

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.

11 people found this helpful

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ElleMphs

High quality photos, interesting topic

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 20, 2018

Verified Purchase

Great book, interesting topic, high quality photos. Highly recommend.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 31, 2017

Verified Purchase

Beautiful book and carefully packed.

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Stanley C. Sargent

A Beautiful Reference Book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 17, 2013

This is an oversized book written by one of the most respected Mayanists in the world. The photos are excellent and beautiful. More is known about the images and glyphs on the plates, vases, etc. now, so the text is a bit dated, but it really provides an excellent overview with great insights into the mind of the Maya scribe. The value on this volume will only go up with time.

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Amazon Customer

Best look at the Ancient Maya

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 1, 2009

This is without a doubt, the best look at the ancient Maya by Michael Coe, a world renowned archeologist (Yale emeritus) and Justin Kerr, a photographer and specialist in ancient Maya artifacts and creator of the rollout camera which allows a 360 degree view of a vase, in order to study the whole story. If you ever wanted to know about the writing the Maya invented, their customs and calendar and their concept of zero, this is a most complete and interesting examination.

The text holds your interest and is written with accuracy and depth and the photographic visuals are stunning. The design of the book is first-rate. A great book to give as a gift or to keep forever.

One person found this helpful

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Chris Matthews

Brilliant Deciphering of Mayan Calligraphy

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 25, 2001

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.

9 people found this helpful

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John Montgomery

An exceptional look at the world of the Maya artist.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 18, 1998

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.

19 people found this helpful

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Art of the Maya Scribe Hardcover – February 1, 1998

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