Title: Uncle Snake
Author: Matthew Gollub (1960 – Present) — Award-winning linguist and author
Illustrator: Leovigildo Martínez Torres (1959 – Present) — Master Oaxacan Painter
Genre: Children’s Folklore / Mexican & Oaxacan Mythology / Indigenous Legends
Edition: True First Edition, First Printing (1996)
Publisher: Tambourine Books (An Imprint of William Morrow & Co.), New York
Aesthetics: Illustrated dust jacket and pictorial cover boards; illustrations inspired by traditional Oaxacan fresco murals.
Rooted in the ancient pre-Hispanic oral traditions of the indigenous peoples of southern Mexico, Uncle Snake delivers an imaginative, atmospheric explanation for one of nature's most dramatic phenomena. The narrative centers on a fearless village boy who disregards his father's warnings and steps inside a forbidden, shimmering cave during a violent storm. Emerging transformed with a snake magically attached to his head, he must seek out the nahual—a powerful, shape-changing magic worker—to uncover his ultimate destiny: giving the world the very first gift of lightning.
Matthew Gollub (1960 – Present) is an acclaimed American children's author, translator, and dynamic educational speaker who has inspired school audiences globally. Fluent in multiple languages, including Japanese and Spanish, Gollub lived in Oaxaca, where he conducted direct ethnographic research into traditional oral histories. He is widely celebrated for his rhythmic storytelling style, notably showcased in his award-winning Jazz Fly series.
Leovigildo Martínez Torres (1959 – Present) is a prominent Mexican fine artist rooted in Oaxaca de Juárez. He received formal artistic training at the historic Centro de Educación Artística de Oaxaca and polished his craft under the legacy of Rufino Tamayo at the Taller de Artes Plásticas. Celebrated globally for his distinct, dreamlike imagery that weaves ancient indigenous cosmologies with contemporary composition, his original paintings are highly sought after by international collectors, with major solo exhibitions spanning Los Angeles, Santa Fe, and Tokyo.
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Condition: Fine/Very Good. Dust jacket: Light shelf wear; light wear along the upper edge, front and back, with a tiny white scuff and small crease on the back. Illustrated cover boards. Pages are clean, undamaged, and complete.
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