About the Author

Denise Schmandt-Besserat is Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

Reviews

...possibly the single most important contribution published in recent years concerned with the antecedents to writing.
*Libraries and Culture*

Schmandt-Besserat’s discovery and its ramifications . . . are crucial to understanding the development of civilization.... This is a thought-provoking book, beautifully produced, and what it tells us is of great importance.
*Times Literary Supplement*

What shines here is the human mind, spinning a tight web of inference from abundant evidence.
*Scientific American*