The History of Beads from 30,000 B.C. to the Present
New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1987. First edition. Hardcover. Folio. 364pp. Original photo-illustrated dust-jacket over blue cloth, with blind stamped lettering on front cover and silver lettering on spine. Pictorial endpapers. Photo-illustrated half-title and title page. This book is the first comprehensive history of beads ever published. It includes several thousand examples of beads, beaded jewelry, and beadwork representing 30,000 years of history and drawn from every major culture and region of the world. For thousands of years, beads have played an important role throughout the world, from Japan to Cameroon. This highly unusual and innovative volume surveys the fascinating story of their evolution: beads have been used as a medium of trade, as talismans, as personal adornment, as status symbols, and as religious artifacts. They are capsules of cultural, historical, and technological information. This ambitious survey of beads and their unique contribution to history features more than 380 illustrations, most in full color, a spectacular illustrated time line of bead history, detailed maps, a chart of bead shapes, and a highly readable text by Lois Sherr Dubin. Some creasing along edges of dust-jacket. Previous owner's stamp on front free endpaper and half-title (Dr. & Mrs. Frederick Krieger). Slight age-toning along paper margin. Dust-jacket in overall fair to good-, binding in good to good+, interior in good+ to very good condition. g to g+. Item #38064
ISBN: 0810907364
Price: $75.00