The Mark of Cain [Hardcover]

Quantum. The units of emitted energy. A Quantum Book is a short study distinctive for the author's ability to offer a richness of detail and insight within about one hundred pages of print. Short enough to be read in an evening and significant enough to be a book.

Ruth Mellinkoffis Research Associate at the University of California's Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and she is the author ofThe Mark of Cain(California, 1981) andThe Horned Moses in Medieval Art and Thought(California, 1970).

"Before opening Ruth Mellinkoff's slim by fascinating volume, most readers would no doubt describe the mark of Cain as a sign placed by God on Cain's forehead as punishment for the murder of his brother Abel. The truth is much more elusive than this piece of common wisdom, however, and the search for it is supremely engaging. . . . Mellinkoff spends most of her time analyzing their study and speculation on Cain. . . . The exegetical tradition on Cain turns out to be astonishingly rich: its variety defies summary in a brief review, and in any case will be better appreciated after a reading of Mellinkoff's book. . . . On the level of historical scholarship, Mellinkoff's book cannot be faulted."

--Jerry H. Bentley, University of Hawaii

Speculum / Volume 57 / Issue 03 / July 1982, pp 686-686