“A sparkling account of Rosa and Miguel Covarrubias’ life and times. Begins with Miguel’s birth in 1904 and follows the brilliant early flowering of his artistic career as a renowned caricaturist for Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, his meeting and marriage to Rosa at the height of her New York dancing career, and their many years of professional collaboration on projects ranging from dance to anthropology to painting and art collecting to the development of museums to preserve Mexico’s pre-Columbian heritage.”

Publisher: University of Texas
Hardback: 352 pages

“Drawn from extensive fieldwork and enriched with the life stories of entertaining and nightclub performers, this is the first ethnography of female singers and dancers in present-day Egypt.”

Publisher: University of Texas
Paperback: 240 pages
Illustrated

“It is for his pilgrimage in 1853 to Mecca and Medina and the most sacrosanct shrines of Islam that Burton is best known—and for his celebrated book that recorded his experiences during the journey. Successfully posing as a wandering dervish, he gained admittance to the holy Kaabah and to the Tomb of the Prophet at Medina and participated in all the rituals of the Hadj [pilgrimage]. He is still one of the very few non-Moslems to visit and return from Mecca… Whether telling of the crowded caravan to Mecca, engaging in minute analysis of Bedouin character, waxing lyrical about a desert landscape or reporting conversations with townsfolk or fellow pilgrims, Burton gives us a vivid picture of the region and its people.”

Publisher: University of Texas
Paperback: 479 pages
Illustrated

“Written in nontechnical terms for learners who have a basic knowledge of simple Mexican Spanish, the book presents practical information for anyone who would like to communicate with the Maya in their native language… covers pronunciation and grammar of Maya, also includes invaluable tips on learning indigenous languages ‘in the field.’ Most helpful are the discussions of the cultural and material worlds of the Maya, accompanied by essential words and expressions for common objects and experiences.”

Publisher: University of Texas
Paperback: 256 pages
Illustrated

The final, epic work by one of the world’s foremost Maya scholars. Proskouriakoff was responsible for discovering that a vast number of the glyphs covering Maya buildings and monuments actually recorded the lives and thoughts of specific individuals, not only the priests and Gods as was previously surmised. This significant breakthrough paved the way for a true history of the Maya civilization. The eventual collapse of the Classic Maya is discussed in connection with the corrupting “decadence” in their art, brought on by foreign influences in the Maya lowlands. Fourteen line drawings of stelae and over 300 original drawings of glyphs enhance the intriguing, densely detailed text. CS

Publisher: University of Texas
Hardback: 304 pages
Illustrated

The Maya civilization left many records carved in the stone of its cities, but only four hand-painted books, or codices, are known to have survived from the pre-Columbian era. The Paris Codex is one of these, and this groundbreaking study is the first comprehensive treatment of this codex since 1910. The Maya priests who used The Paris Codex could see the myriad forces of the Maya spirit world arranged and organized on the pages before them. The interweaving of cycles within cycles became comprehensible and predictable. The invisible world became perceptible. Now, scholars and amateurs alike can discover the unity and harmony of the Maya cosmos. CS

Publisher: University of Texas
Hardback: 172 pages
Illustrated

This tape was submitted for review without a study guide or other text. The cover of the tape indicates that this is Maya as it is spoken on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. It sounds like Danish being spoken by a Native American. Unlike Danish there seems to be an emphasis on words that deal with sunshine and warmth and corn. This tape can prove especially interesting to anybody who has ever wondered what the rich and fertile pictograms of the Maya sound like as a spoken language. 30 min. SA

Publisher: University of Texas
Audio Cassette

The Lone Star State’s epic journey of the death penalty, setting the records straight regarding illegal lynchings; crazed and delirious mobs thirsty for blood; racism; as well as tons of fun facts and absurd statistics. “I [sheriff of Brazoria County] was in attendance upon his trial, and I have talked to various persons, white citizens and Negroes in the community in which he lives, and am quite thoroughly convinced that John and V.J., the state’s principle witness, were intimate and have been intimate for sometime prior to the killing. I am convinced that John Banks and V.J. were tussling and the gun accidentally discharged and shot the little girl… “ Needless to say, John Banks was execution No. 191… “Don’t Mess with Texas!” TD

Publisher: University of Texas
Hardback: 328 pages
Illustrated

Ancient Mesopotamia is credited with the invention of written language and the development of sophisticated urban society. The period covered by this book is from about 3000 B.C. to the Christian era. It is organized like an encyclopedia with alphabetical entries and looks to be about as definitive as any layperson would ever need. This is the sort of reference work that invites a cover-to-cover reading. It is copiously illustrated with drawings, maps and photographs (of artifacts) and is cross-referenced with a clear eye to affording the reference user as much information as possible. Preceding the encyclopedia portion is an overview divided into three sections: people and places, art and iconography, and periods. SA

Publisher: University of Texas
Paperback: 192 pages
Illustrated

“Explains the basic rules of the writing system and the grammar and then applies them to 13 actual inscriptions taken from objects in European and Egyptian museums… [through] explanations and learning the most commonly used glyphs, readers can begin to decode hieroglyphs themselves and increase their enjoyment of both museum objects and Egyptian sites.”

Publisher: University of Texas
Paperback: 128 pages
Illustrated