The Third Edition of this classic account of the inside story of one of the major intellectual breakthroughs of our time - the last great decipherment of an ancient script – revised and brought right up to date with the latest developments. 113 illustrations bring to life the people and texts that have enabled us to read the Maya script. The original edition, which sold over 40,000 copies in English, was hailed as ‘a masterpiece that transcends the boundaries between academic and popular writing’. ‘Coe’s thrilling account of the cracking of Mayan is like a detective story … great stuff’ - The Observer ‘Told with great vigour by Professor Michael Coe, who was himself involved; he offers an insider’s story with strong views of the personalities, competence and abilities of some colleagues’ - History Today ‘An entertaining, enlightening and even humorous history of the great searchers after the meaning that lies in the Maya inscriptions’ - Anthony Burgess

'Coe’s thrilling account of the cracking of Mayan is like a detective story … great stuff' - Observer
'A thrilling story of academic rivalry, bigotry, chewing gum and - wait for it - penis perforation' - Daily Mail
'An entertaining, enlightening and even humorous history of the great searchers after the meaning that lies in the Maya inscriptions' - Anthony Burgess
'Told with great vigour by Professor Michael Coe, who was himself involved; he offers an insider’s story with strong views of the personalities, competence and abilities of some colleagues' - History Today
'A great story told clearly and passionately by a great Mayanist. It’s an inspiring example of the ultimate triumph of a truth in the knock-down, drag-out world of academic politics' - Science

Professor Michael D. Coe is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Curator Emeritus in the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University. His books include The Maya, Reading the Maya Glyphs and Mexico and The True History of Chocolate, all published by Thames & Hudson.