In the Kirghiz homeland, a person familiar with the Manas oral epic poems has in all probability entrusted at least part of his mental Manas-imagery to the remarkable artistic renderings of Theodor Herzen. What reader of English can think of Alice in Wonderland without automatically recalling the classic illustrations of Sir |ohn Tenniel? So too it would be no mere exaggeration to say that Theodor Herzen's dynamic and richly detailed engravings have become an integral part of the Kirghiz people's conception of their beloved national poems. And while upholding a distinctly personal style, Herzen has given new life and relevance to two old and venerable strains of illustration - medieval manuscript illumination and the wood-block engravings of renaissance masters such as Albrecht Durer.