Fragile Heritage. A Rock Art Fieldguide

(Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press, 1998) 1868143325. 220 x 150 mm; laminated pictorial wrappers; pp. viii + 224; profusely illustrated with full-colour photographs, location maps, line drawings and diagrams. Fine condition. "South Africa is well known for its magnificent rock art. An important cultural heritage, it strikes chords in almost all who are fortunate enough to see it on the rock face. Echoing, as it does, a world which no longer exists, it has long enticed researchers to attempt to find out its meaning. Designed as a handy fieldguide for rock art enthusiasts, Fragile Heritage covers the most important and accessible rock art sites in South Africa - sites selected because they are officially open to visitors and are adequately protected from the destructive whims of humans to which so much South African rock art has fallen victim. In an accessible and illuminating introduction David Lewis-Williams introduces readers to the basic theoretical and conceptual tools with which to appreciate and interpret rock art. Descriptions of each site include a map showing its location, the availability of facilities for camping or accomodation on or near the site and an indication of the cost of a visit (including entrance fees and accomodation). A fun check-list encourages visitors to spot and note recurring themes and particular details of the art they view." .