Stepping-Stones A Journey Through the Ice Age Caves of the Dordogne Christine Desdemaines-Hugon, Ian Tattersall

Well-written and eminently accessible, this book explores and celebrates the Upper Palaeolithic art of the Dordogne, admirably conveying the author's enthusiasm for her subject. Desdemaines-Hugon's text reads as a personalised guided tour to five famous sites, all of which are still open to the public: Font de Gaume, Combralles, Cap Blanc, Rouffignac and Bernifal. The descriptions are beautifully done, marrying the art with its setting, and portable and decorative arts are also covered, giving the reader a real feel for the sophistication of Cro-magnon culture, as well as insights as to its development.

Christine Desdemaines-Hugon is an eminent scholar of prehistoric anthropology and cave art of the Dordogne region of France and is well known for the tours she gives to many visitors and tourists. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Town and Country magazine, and USA Today, among other publications. She lives in Campagne, France.

"'The next best thing to actually seeing the prehistoric cave art of southern France's Dordogne region is reading about it, as lovingly and meticulously described by Christine Desdemaines-Hugon in Stepping-Stones... a rapturous guide through five major Ice Age sites, each open to the public, and each with its own magical beauty.' (Peter A. Young, Archaeology)"