Mazes and Labyrinths

A hedge maze may seem no more than a children’s playground—until its dark yew alleys become a lovers’ rendezvous. But what makes a maze: branching paths designed to deceive, or a single winding road with no wrong turn?

In this 1922 survey, W. H. Matthews follows the labyrinth idea from ancient Egypt and Crete through medieval Christian designs and into the garden. He takes on a deceptively simple puzzle: “maze” and “labyrinth” resist neat definition, and their forms reach far beyond clipped hedges. Archaeology, old writings, mathematics and recreation all enter the inquiry, while the origins and purposes of these winding patterns remain uncertain. What might the maze reveal when its history refuses to yield one clear path?

With centuries of literature, it's inevitable that some will fall through the cracks. We hunt down public domain works and restore them so they're not lost to the world.

Who are we? We're Cairn Press. Our background is in design, publishing, typography, and technology. These skills fuel our mission to create the highest quality Public Domain eBooks available online, at an affordable price. We give them the treatment they deserve; our proprietary process restores books for a better overall user experience in design, readability, and e-reader compatibility.