Books by Lewis Spence

Transcribed from Mayan hieroglyphs, the Popol Vuh relates the mythology and history of the Kiché people of Central America. There is no document of greater importance to the study of pre-Columbian mythology.

James Lewis Thomas Chalmers Spence (25 November 1874 - 3 March 1955) was a Scottish journalist, poet, author, folklorist and occult scholar. Spence was a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, and Vice-President of the Scottish Anthropological and Folklore Society. He founded the Scottish National Movement. In this time Spence''s interest was sparked in the myth and folklore of Mexico and Central America, resulting in his popularisation of the Mayan Popul Vuh, the sacred book of the Quiché Mayans (1908). He compiled A Dictionary of Mythology (1910), an Encyclopedia of occultism and parapsychology (1920) and numerous additional volumes.

In this brilliant reworking of Lewis Spence's seminal Myths and Legends of the North American Indians, Jon E. Lewis puts the work in context with an extensive new introductory essay and additional commentary throughout the book on the history of Native Americans, their language and lifestyle, culture and religion/mythology. He includes examples of myths from tribes omitted by Spence, a guide to tribes and their myths by region, a basic Lakota (Sioux) glossary, guides to key pronunciations and a bibliography.

The Civilization of Ancient Mexico by Lewis Spence was first published in 1912 as part of the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature series. The volume contains an engaging study of life in Ancient Mexico, offering a diverse range of information on history, language, mythology and religion.