Book Review - The Curious History of Mazes

The Curious History of Mazes by Julie E Bounford

192 pages, AMZN

Before I delve into my review of the book I want to mention that the Amazon page for this book is excellent if you click on the link above. Specifically, the “From the Publishers” section - each chapter has an illustration and a quick summary.

The book is a great mix of the history, uses, and symbolism of mazes and labyrinths around the world. The illustrations and examples are excellent and I really enjoyed the breaks to solve unique mazes along the way.

What I learned in this book (at least some of it):

• “In some Meso-American cultures, it was believed that the wicked could be “mazed” in the underworld, so their souls would not return” ; Which to me seems like a nice pitch to a new horror movie

• I have never seen a Sidereal maze before, based on the constellations. Very interesting and fun to solve (page 45 in kindle version). Or the Switch Maze (Page 105).

• I learned about the city of Saffron Walden in England, a city with a hedge maze and the largest turf maze in Europe at 132 feet from corner to corner. Seems like a nice place for a maze museum ?

• That Francesco Segala, an Italian architect from Padua in the 15th century may have created the first picture mazes ever (with illustrations in the book !)

• The first 3 dimensional maze was built in the 1830’s by Stuart Landsborough using wodden board to create a second story on a maze.

• The strategy game Nine Men’s Morris that was popular to be played at turf mazes.

• There are 270 labyrinths on the London Underground, created by English artist Mark Wallinger in 2013 to mark the Underground’s 150th Anniversary. You can see some of them here.

• Cloud cities by Argentinian artist Tomás Saraceno, which you should just see to understand.

• There is a nice illustration comparing the classical and medieval labyrinth designs (figure 2 page 46) that I found interesting.

What this book does best: The mix of mazes with history and examples makes for a fun reading experience. The mazes are a break from reading - unless you get to a hard one - then the reading is the break!

Kids Book Review - The Labyrinth of Doom by Stuart Gibbs

The Labyrinth of Doom (2022) AMZN

157 Pages, for ages 7-10

by Stuart Gibbs, illustrated by Stacy Curtis

Today I review The Labyrinth of Doom by Stuart Gibbs and Stacy Curtis, which is the second book in the "Once Upon a Tim" series. The story follows Tim, a knight-in-training, and his best friend Belinda, as they embark on a quest to save Princess Grace. The princess needs rescuing again (also in book 1 of the series), and Tim and Belinda must face a series of challenges as they traverse a labyrinth, including menacing beasts like the minotaur and treacherous obstacles like chasms filled with cave sharks. Yes, cave sharks. I enjoyed the writing style a lot (maybe I like kids books ?) and found the story to be engaging. The illustrations are also fun by Stacy Curtis.

This is a great book for kids, that I recommend.

Other blog posts you might like:

The 12 Best Maze and Labyrinth Movies Of All Time

Watchmojo's Best Maze Movie Scenes

How to make over 40 types of mazes

Book Review - Confessions of an Egyptologist

Book Review - Confessions of an Egyptologist 195 pages. AMZN.

by Erich von Däniken

Confessions of an Egyptologist by Erich von Däniken is a fascinating book that tells the story of Adel H., a 16-year-old boy who discovered a mysterious labyrinth of the old kings and was trapped for days under the Step Pyramid. The book is a mix of memoir and historical fiction, with von Däniken weaving together Adel's story with his own theories about ancient Egypt and the possibility of extraterrestrial influence.

The book is well-written and engaging, with von Däniken's signature style of blending fact and speculation. However, some readers may find his theories to be far-fetched and lacking in evidence. Additionally, the book has been criticized for its lack of academic rigor and reliance on anecdotal evidence.

Despite these criticisms, Confessions of an Egyptologist is an enjoyable read for anyone interested in ancient Egypt and the mysteries surrounding its history. Von Däniken's storytelling is compelling, and his passion for the subject matter is evident throughout the book. Whether or not you agree with his theories, the book is sure to spark your imagination and leave you with a newfound appreciation for the wonders of ancient Egypt.

What I learned in this book:

• Was the Great Pyramid of Giza a huge library created for the people of the future ?

• Are tomb raiders the real archeologists in Egypt ? It seems if a tomb raider uncovers a new place filled with valuable antiquities it is in their best interest to keep it to themselves and pillage it.

What this book does best: It weaves together a mix of memoir and historical fiction that includes aliens. I would say this opens your mind to new possibilities on what the pyramids were for and who built them.

I read this book as I have been seeing a lot of information recently saying that the lost Labyrinth has been found. Watch out for a future blog post on this as I continue my research.

Book Reviews - Jill Kimberly Hartwell Geoffrion's Labyrinth books

Today I am going to review and compare 3 different labyrinth books by Rev. Jill Kimberly Hartwell Geoffrion. If you are not familiar with the author she has her own website where you can learn about all her writings, labyrinth pilgrimages, and ministries. If you are interested in the spiritual aspect of walking labyrinths she is a resource you will want to be familiar with. On her website, in her about section it notes that she “is a world-renowned expert on labyrinths, labyrinth prayer, and the Chartres Cathedral.”. I couldn’t say it any better than that. Some of you will want to read all 3 books, but I will aim to show you the differences if one is more to your liking. Short summary is at the end. Let’s get to the reviews.

Living The Labyrinth (2009) - 88 pages. AMZN.

This third book is the least spiritual of the tomes and the one I like best. It is broken into 11 parts which groups different ways of approaching a labyrinth together.

What I learned in this book:

• This book is all about 101 different ways to walk / approach a labyrinth. The supposition is that there is no right way to walk it. This gives you options on how to walk the labyrinth.

• I really liked the quote below which has been added to my maze/labyrinth quote page. What follows is a discussion of the passage which I really enjoyed.

Although most of us acknowledge the desirability of labyrinths, when it come down to it, we generally see our lives as mazes, not labyrinths

What this book does best: It is very creative in coming up with ways to walk a labyrinth and how those ways can be thought about. If I asked you to come up with 101 ways to walk a path when would you get stuck ? After 10 ? And could you give meaning to each ‘way’. This author can.

If you want to experience labyrinths in a new way, this is the book for you.

Pondering The Labyrinth (2003) - 112 pages. AMZN.

The book has fifteen short chapters broken into 4 parts. Part One is a nice overview of Labyrinths. Each of the next 3 parts deal with questions to ponder in different stages of walking a labyrinth. The author is a Reverend and the book is spiritually based.

This is the follow-up book to Praying The Labyrinth from 1999 from the same author. The books are similar.

What I learned in this book:

• This book is not about facts as much as it is about reflection. Reflection when you walk a labyrinth.

What this book does best: I really like the historical labyrinths that are featured, one in each chapter at the beginning and end. The questions are very good and plentiful - while not all will have meaning for you, you will find meaning in some in the depth and breadth presented here.

If you are a spiritual person that likes to walk labyrinths, this book is for you, similar to her previous book, but shorter and with less scripture than the book below.

Praying The Labyrinth (1999) - 181 pages AMZN.

The book has two main parts - Getting ready for the labyrinth and then walking it. It has many short one page sections (chapters), each with their own thoughts and accompanying prayers. The author wrote the book about her experience walking the Chartres Labyrinth in France.

What I learned in this book:

• The Chartres Labyrinth in France has a unique design and the center is often called the rosette, which has a six-petaled rose shape

• That walking a labyrinth can be a deeply religious experience. The book is a prayer guide that mixes thoughts on walking a labyrinth with scripture from the Bible.

What this book does best: Is a guide of the feeling, meditations, thoughts and prayers that go into walking a labyrinth with intense purpose. Full of Biblical scripture.

If you are a spiritual person that likes to walk labyrinths, this is the book for you.

Summary:

• Praying the Labyrinth delves into a Biblical look at walking labyrinths.

• Pondering the Labyrinth is focused on reflection, or basically how you think about walking the labyrinth.

• Living The Labyrinth is the least spiritual of the books. It features 101 different ways to walk / approach a labyrinth.

Similar posts to this one:

5 BOOKS ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL ASPECT OF LABYRINTHS

Reviews these 5 books with long titles !!!

Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool

Labyrinth : Your Path to Self-Discovery

Exploring the Labyrinth: A Guide For Healing and Spiritual Growth

Walking the Labyrinth: A Place to Pray and Seek God

Labyrinths from the Outside In: Walking to Spiritual Insight

THE BEST BOOKS ABOUT MAZES AND LABYRINTHS (THAT AREN'T ACTUALLY MAZE BOOKS)

This post reviews 8 books that are more about the history of mazes and labyrinths.