On the Verge of Lunacy

The book is an exhaustive treatise of the creation and evolution of the concept of the dragon. It is divided into three chapters which discuss  incense and libations, dragons and rain gods, and the birth of Aphrodite. The titles of the chapters might be confusing and irrelevant at first glance but the author did more than just explain the various appearances and characteristics of the dragon. He went so far as to discuss every possible theory of its creation, purpose, and models. He even included topics which are remotely related to minor subjects discussed throughout the book.  The author has a tendency to extend the discussion of even the minor topics because he considered every theory that was extant during the creation of this book. The title might be misleading and the reader disappointed in the writer's style but his exhaustive method at arriving at his conclusions is praiseworthy. His uses comparison and verification to form his own opinions and does not wholly...

My drawing of the Aztec gods Ehecatl (left), one of Quetzacoatl's forms, and Huitzilopochtli (right). I didn't make up their appearances. I based these on the drawings I found from various sources.

This volume presents the history and mythology of the Aztecs, Maya and the surrounding communities and their predecessors in writing that is easy to understand. Even within just a few pages the author was able to explain the records and artifacts existing at the time of the book's publication very clearly. He begins by providing the common cultural traits of the peoples occupying the areas in what is now Mexico to the Nicoya peninsula of Costa Rica. He also gives brief accounts of the Olmecs and Zapotecs and an outline of the different periods of Mesoamerican history. There is a separate chapter about calendrics which is important in religion and sciences. Then he provides and compares the various sources of what we currently know of the customs and religion of those people. Finally, the two separate sections for Aztec and Maya mythology. The similarities and differences in the myths are provided early in the last two chapters before the recounting the stories. I didn...