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Oxbow says: Yes another book on palaeolithic art... but not one that tows the line. Written by a naturalist, artist, paleobiologist, experienced bow hunter and pleistocene paleontologist, this book offers new insights and new interpretations of palaeolithic art focused more towards literal readings. In advocating that natural history is the key to understanding the art in a more appropriate context, Guthrie opens up the argument that the art may not have been created by male shamans in altered states of consciousness but may have been done quickly and casually, perhaps amidst the adolescent giggles of children. The picture he paints of the world in which the art was created is firmly based on natural history, a world populated by mammoths, bison, horse and reindeer, and by human animal watchers. Beyond this painting of context, Guthrie explores the nature of the depictions, the motivations for creating them, who the artists were, the influence of gender and age on art-making, why hunting was seemingly so important, the role of art-making in society, the role of the supernatural, and why it disappeared around 10,000 years ago. Along the way Guthrie discusses the modern obsession with uncovering the significant meaning of the art and attaching some form of symbolic or ritual code to them, preferring to see the art as representing 'complicated earth-bound subjects, diverse everyday interests and wonders'. Whether you agree with Guthrie's approach and findings, or not, there is no denying that this is a great book.