.668 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 



BOOK NOTICES. 



A Study of the Manuscript Troano. By Cyrus Thomas/ Ph.D.; Quarto^ 

 pp. 237.^ Illustrated. Government Printing Office, Washington, 1S82. 



This is a most thorough and comprehensive description and explanation of 

 one of the three published Maya manuscripts which escaped destruction by the 

 Spanish priests at the time of the conquest of Central America. It was named the 

 Troano MSS., a compound of the two names of its former owner, Don Juan de 

 Tro y Ortolano, by the Abbe Brasseur (de Bourbo'urg) who found it in his posses- 

 sion at Madrid in 1864. This valuable manuscript consists of thirty-five leaves 

 or seventy pages written upon a kind of paper manufactured from the leaves of 

 the maguey plant. The paper is in the shape of a strip, about fourteen ieet long 

 and nine inches wide, covered with a white paint or varnish and upon it the char- 

 acters are painted in black, red, blue and brown. It is folded fan-like, into thirty- 

 five folds, and presents the appearance, when closed, of an ordinary octavo vol- 

 ume. The hieroglyphics and figures cover both sides of the paper, the writing 

 or painting having been executed apparently after the paper was folded, so that 

 each page is distinctly legible. 



As the Maya family was probably the most ancient and highly civilized on 

 this continent, whether we judge by its traditions, records or architectural testi- 

 mony, a careful and scholarly examination of its literary remains should be a 

 most interesting and important study, and the perusal of the results of such an exam- 

 ination, prepared by a competent and enthusiastic investigator and a critical and 

 attractive writer should be an extremely instructive and entertaining occupation. 

 Such we find the works of Mr. Thomas, and such we believe will be the verdict 

 of all other readers. 



The introduction by Dr. Daniel G. Brinton is a dissertation upon thought 

 and sound-writing in general, and the system of the Mayas in particular. It also 

 comprises an account of the other Maya manuscripts as far as published. 



The whole work is copiously illustrated and may be regarded as quite ex- 

 haustive. The contents are mainly as follows : The graphic system and records 

 of the ancient Mayas, by Dr. D. G. Brinton ; the manuscript and its characters, 

 the Maya calendar, explanation of figures, etc. in the manuscript and the Dres- 

 den College; probable meaning of other figures; symbols, etc. that can be classed 

 as written characters ; the written characters in the manuscript ; illustrations of 

 the Day columns ; a discussion of dates ; inscriptions on the Palenque tablet. 

 Appendices: extracts from Landa's " Relacion, etc.," quotation from Senor Mel- 

 gar, translation of Tanda's description of festivals, mode of building houses among 

 the Yucatees from Landa, manner of baptism in Yucatan, Landa. 



