Mapping the Walk (Greek/English bilingual)

Month after month over the course of 11 years, artist Judith Allen-Efstathiou has been drawing the wildflowers that grow along an ancient stone-paved footpath near her home on the Greek island of Kea. The drawings document the path and its plants, both endangered by the encroachment of a road. The result of her work, Mapping the Walk, is a gorgeous, lavishly illustrated book that takes the reader on a journey along this path. With the artist as guide, we pass the ancient stone Lion of Kea, enter an intimate world of delicate beauty, and experience the extraordinary wealth of the wildflowers of Greece. Illustrated with 53 full-colour botanical drawings, along with details from the artist’s sketchbook, photographs, and artwork inspired by the drawings, Mapping the Walk is both a testament to the artist’s passionate devotion to this landscape and a celebration of the beauty and resilience of nature. The larger hope for the book is that it may be a spur to the preservation not only of this ancient footpath, but of other marked hiking trails on Kea — living, national treasures, precious, priceless, and irreplaceable.