Reader’s Digest Mysteries of the Ancient Americas, The New World Before Columbus Edited by Joseph L. Gardner.

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DESCRIPTION: Hardcover with Dust Jacket: 320 pages. Publisher: The Reader’s Digest Association Inc; (1986). A very large, magnificent, quality, coffee-table type hardback book with over three hundred incredible cull-color pictures and illustrations. A visual feast, scholarly, entertaining, imaginative, informative, and readable. This book has it all! The book focuses on some of the puzzles such as who "discovered" America, how and when the first settlers came, who built the New World pyramids, and Lost Cities that have intrigued historians, archaeologists, and laymen over the centuries. Each section contains various theories of explanation, which can range from the wild romancing of early explorers to the latest information from different fields of research. The text is highly readable and is accompanied by a wealth of color photographs, maps, and reconstructive drawings of various sites. This attractive volume will be useful for reports, but will also appeal to anyone who is fascinated by the color and lure of the past.

CONDITION: NEW. HUGE hardcover w/dustjacket in mylar. Reader's Digest (1986) 320 pages. Book is new and unread, however dustjacket does show moderate shelfwear. Pages are pristine; clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, unambiguously unread. However as is common with such huge, heavy oversized books, the dustjacket does show modest edge and corner shelfwear (from being dragged across the bookshelf). In this instance there are a couple of modest (neatly repaired) closed tears to the top edge of the dustjacket, principally at the spine head and front side. Dustjacket has been encapsulated in a mylar covering so as to prevent further wear. Condition is entirely consistent with new stock from an open-shelf book store (such as Barnes & Noble, for instance) wherein patrons are permitted to browse open stock, and so otherwise "new" books often have become slightly blemished and/or show a little handling/shelf/browsing wear. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! #144*.

PLEASE SEE IMAGES BELOW FOR JACKET DESCRIPTION(S) AND FOR PAGES OF PICTURES FROM INSIDE OF BOOK.

PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW.

PUBLISHER REVIEW:

REVIEW: Explore America's enigmatic past- the fascinating mysteries, unanswered questions, and buried splendor of times, places, and peoples long forgotten. 365 illustrations, 19 maps, 6 full-spread reconstructions. An amassing of the various historical and cultural anomalies of the Americas dating to the periods prior to the late 15th century, with much information on the origins and littler known aspects of the Incas, Aztecs, Olmecs, Mayas, Toltecs, and other peoples of the ancient Americas, their mysterious origins and contacts with earlier civilizations across the oceans, their unique religious and cultural practices, much more.

PROFESSIONAL REVIEW:

REVIEW: Mysteries of the Ancient Americas” presents fabulous tales from the past, offers the solutions of modern science, and poses new questions that make the story even more intriguing. We know that the Vikings preceded Christopher Columbus to the New World by 500 years. But why did they abandon their Newfoundland colony? Native Americans built the world's largest pyramids. What engineering methods did they employ in creating such awesome edifices? Mysteries like these are probed, and the answers sought in chapters that approach ancient history topically. The book is a visual feast, with more than 350 (most in full color) drawings, paintings, and other works of art, as well as photographs of sites today. Maps pinpoint the locations discussed; specially commissioned full-spread reconstructions carry the reader back in time. Based on the most up-to-date information and drawing upon the expertise of more than a dozen scholars, the text is written in a clear, easy-to-follow style by people who know how to translate difficult, even conflicting, subject matter into a popular narrative. Reading the book from cover to cover, dipping in a chapter at a time, or merely browsing through its color-splashed pages, you will discover an American past more dazzling, more varied, more mysterious than the one you studied in school.

READER REVIEW:

REVIEW: Well done and profusely illustrated. This book is an awesome tour of the archaeology and anthropology of the ancient Americas. If you were to own only one book on this subject, this would be it. The imagery is mind-blowing. The text quite readable. The end result not only a fantastic collection of quality prints of ancient art, but also an education in the history of two continents.

I always ship books Media Mail in a padded mailer. This book is shipped FOR FREE via USPS INSURED media mail (“book rate”). All domestic shipments and most international shipments will include free USPS Delivery Confirmation (you might be able to update the status of your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site and free insurance coverage). A small percentage of international shipments may require an additional fee for tracking and/or delivery confirmation. If you are concerned about a little wear and tear to the book in transit, I would suggest a boxed shipment - it is an extra $1.00. Whether via padded mailer or box, we will give discounts for multiple purchases. International orders are welcome, but shipping costs are substantially higher.

Most international orders cost an additional $12.99 to $33.99 for an insuredshipment in a heavily padded mailer, and typically includes some form of rudimentary tracking and/or delivery confirmation (though for some countries, this is only available at additional cost). There is also a discount program which can cut postage costs by 50% to 75% if you’re buying about half-a-dozen books or more (5 kilos+).  Rates and available services vary a bit from country to country.  You can email or message me for a shipping cost quote, but I assure you they are as reasonable as USPS rates allow, and if it turns out the rate is too high for your pocketbook, we will cancel the sale at your request.  ADDITIONAL PURCHASES do receive a VERY LARGE discount, typically about $5 per book (for each additional book after the first) so as to reward you for the economies of combined shipping/insurance costs.  Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment.  We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers.

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Most of the items I offer come from the collection of a family friend who was active in the field of Archaeology for over forty years. However many of the items also come from purchases I make in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) from various institutions and dealers. Though I have always had an interest in archaeology, my own academic background was in sociology and cultural anthropology. After my retirement however, I found myself drawn to archaeology as well. Aside from my own personal collection, I have made extensive and frequent additions of my own via purchases on Ebay (of course), as well as many purchases from both dealers and institutions throughout the world - but especially in the Near East and in Eastern Europe. I spend over half of my year out of the United States, and have spent much of my life either in India or Eastern Europe. In fact much of what we generate on Yahoo, Amazon and Ebay goes to support The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, as well as some other worthy institutions in Europe connected with Anthropology and Archaeology.

I acquire some small but interesting collections overseas from time-to-time, and have as well some duplicate items within my own collection which I occasionally decide to part with. Though I have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, my primary interest is in ancient jewelry. My wife also is an active participant in the "business" of antique and ancient jewelry, and is from Russia. I would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from me. There is a $2 fee for mailing under separate cover. Whenever I am overseas I have made arrangements for purchases to be shipped out via domestic mail. If I am in the field, you may have to wait for a week or two for a COA to arrive via international air mail. But you can be sure your purchase will arrive properly packaged and promptly - even if I am absent. And when I am in a remote field location with merely a notebook computer, at times I am not able to access my email for a day or two, so be patient, I will always respond to every email. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE."