Armenians

A collective Armenian biography coexists here with a relatively extensive analysis of Armenian art, although Novello only scantly relates the two in this disjointed volume. In a verbose but picturesque narrative, motley art forms, many recently gleaned from the ruins of Van and the Valley of Tghmut, are revealed as mummies of mass and individual Armenian identity. Generous photographs of azure skies and jagged terrain punctuate the text, reiterating the concept that the myth-fraught ""land of stones'' is the ``Prime Mover'' of Armenian destiny. A kaleidoscope of relics, lithographs, monuments and diagrams embellish and elucidate the text. Anthropologists and art historians will find the book illuminating. Novello teaches architectural history at the University of Milan, Italy. (January 9)