with a preface that discusses the author’s inspiration for exploring the subject of mazes and labyrinths, rooted in a child's innocent inquiry about their origins during seaside sand constructions. Matthews expresses a desire to offer a readable examination of labyrinths, recognizing their allure beyond their historical and archaic significance. He sets the stage for an exploration that will include archaeological insights and literary references, diverging from solely academic interpretations to engage a broader audience. In this introduction, he emphasizes the ambiguity in the definitions of “maze” and “labyrinth,” hinting at the intricate relationships between their physical and metaphorical meanings, which will be further elaborated in the chapters to come. (This is an automatically generated summary.)