Runes /

Easy to read, Page (Cambridge) presents what is historically known about this North European script. Through clear drawings, he illustrates the different forms the letters took through time in specific geographic areas-in Orkney, Shetland and the Scottish islands, in Ireland, the Isle of Man, and in Scandinavia. Page elucidates the cultural environment through photographs of the artifacts and monuments that display the script. The bibliography includes up-to-date scholarly resources; the index is adequate. The paper, print, and reproductions are of high quality; the soft binding is solid. This small book is most welcome, since no other resource in English treats the subject for general readers and undergraduates. Recommended for high school, public, and undergraduate libraries.-E.S.J. Rowlett, University of Missouri-Columbia

Part of a series from the British Museum, these two short works deal with ancient forms of writing. Cuneiform deals with the pictographic symbol writing system that developed in the Near East before 3000 B.C. Written in detailed yet easy-to-understand language, Walker's text discusses the history and process by which cuneiform became used, describing its geographical distribution and explaining the means by which various names have been deciphered. Runes focuses on the writing system common to Norse and Anglo-Saxon cultures during the second century. Page, an expert runesmith, presents several alphabets from Scandinavia, Britain, and the rest of Europe, clearly showing the variety of information that has been gleaned by interpreting these symbols. Similar in content and format, supplemented by bibliographies, indexes, and sources, these are excellent resource books for public libraries. JMM.