A Forest of Kings. The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya.
New York, NY: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1990. First edition. Hardcover. Small quarto. 542 pp + 16 pp of color photographs. Quarter brown cloth with gilt titling to spine; gray papered boards; b&w and color illustrations; maps, glossary, notes, references, index. From the publisher: "The recent interpretation of Maya hieroglyphs has given us the first written history of the New World as it existed before the European invasion. Now two central figures in the massive effort to decode the glyphs, Linda Schele and David Freidel, make this history available for the first time in all its detail. "A Forest of Kings" is the story of Maya kingship, from the beginning of its institution and the first great pyramid builders two thousand years ago to the decline of Maya civilization and its destruction by the Spanish. Here the great historic rulers of pre-Columbian civilization come to life again with the rediscovery of their language. At its height, Maya civilization flourished under great kings like Shield-Jaguar, who ruled for over sixty years, expanding his kingdom and building some of the most impressive works of architecture in the ancient world. Long placed on a mist-shrouded pedestal as austere, peaceful stargazers, the Maya elites are now known to have been the rulers of populous, aggressive city-states." Much on Mayan religion and mythology throughout. Light rubbing to edges. Otherwise, a tight and bright VG+ copy in VG+ dust jacket. (Dust jacket very lightly rubbed, price clipped.). Item #13956
ISBN: 9780688074562
Sold