For nearly two thousand years the Chinese have been carving on rocks, stones and cliff sides. This art is called moya. The most ancient of these calligraphies have been the subject of studies since the eleventh century. They include prayers, civic and political announcements, poetry and graffiti left by tourists and pilgrims. However, they have not been examined in their own environment. Harrist (Chinese art history, Columbia University) has visited many of the sites where the moya are found to show how they belong as part of the landscape, especially on the holy mountains where one can read the thoughts of the many others who have climbed. Harrist only covers the inscriptions from the first through the eighth centuries but the tradition continues to this day. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)