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Seller notes: CONDITION: NEW 2002 Oxford Univ. Press hardcover (red boards with title in black foil) & dust jacket (in mylar cover), first edition, first printing. Color illustrations true to the Codex by the Author. You will see a scan of what the original Codex looked like also. A NOTE ABOUT THE ISBN NUMBER: This ISBN is actually for the original hardcover, but several platforms have mixed up the numbers for paperback, library binding, & electronic reading devices and most are inaccurate. CONTENT: The Legend of Lord Eight Deer is a retelling of the great epic saga of the Mixtec people of Mexico recorded in pictographs painted on deer-hide codices more than 500 years ago. The legend begins with the mysterious murder of three princes and unfolds as Lord Eight Deer embarks on a quest to rule his kingdom that takes him to the gates of the Sun God himself. It is a story of breathtaking beauty-a story of gods and kings, heroes and princesses, thieves and holy men, and the betrayal of love. John Pohl's vivid retelling and dazzling illustrations brings to life the last great flowering of Mesoamerican civilization. "The Story Behind the Story, " an illustrated section immediately following the retelling, offers a dynamic look at the history, religion, warfare, and daily life of the Mixtec people, the ancient codices, and the legacy of the tale today. Tthe story cycle of Lord Eight Deer, Iya Nacuaa in his own language, is retold from the Mixtec codices. A complex tale, replete with murder, adultery, and dynastic ambitions, the retelling is epic in structure. The language has the cadence of oral telling, but-despite a detailed chronology, a pictorial directory of main characters, and a family tree-events and relationships remain a bit too murky to be understood by recreational readers. Pohl's illustrations are excellent, rendered in the Mesoamerican style seen in the Codex Zouche-Nuttall, upon which much of this story is based. The darkly outlined, iconic figures are reproduced in vibrant colors and strong lines. Informational pages, inserted every 8 to 10 pages and illustrated with color photos and reproductions, give background on Mixtec culture as it has been reconstructed from archaeological evidence. Grade 8+. I'd love to see this and other works of the Ancient Americas be as familiar to American children as the Greek and Roman myths are. Wouldn't you?