The Amber Book: Ake Dahlstrom and Leif Brost [Hardcover]

Lief Brost (Author), Ake Dahlstrom (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

This excellent book on amber contains details of amber's formation, geographical locations, history, folklore, identification and present-day importance in jewelry. Although small in size and number of pages, this book is packed full of useful and fascinating information about amber and its past.

The authors have included all the relevant scientific information that is required to examine and identify amber from its imitations. With nearly 100 photographs, 65 in full color, the book is a visual pleasure to read and enjoy. A historical timeline is presented in chart form to help put the formation of amber into perspective. Amber has trapped within it a multitude of ancient plant and animal life giving us a window into the past. World maps show the present and past locations where amber is found, with interesting photographs to reveal how amber is harvested. Curious stories describe myths and folklore. The details of testing and sorting amber from its imitations are well explained even for the layperson. A two-page bibliography and a list of major amber collections complete this book.

This well-organized book is not only useful for the gemmologist, but can bring joy to the collector, jeweller or anyone who has an interest in amber. In conclusion, if you want to know more about amber, this book is an excellent resource. -- Canadian Gemmologist, 1997 XVIII(4

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Swedish

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 134 pages
• Publisher: Distribution by Mountain Press Pub. Co; Revised edition (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0945005237
• ISBN-13: 978-0945005230
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,095,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What? You don't already have this book???, April 3, 2002

By 

Kirsten M. Houseknecht "Practice is the midwi... (philadelphia, pa USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Amber Book: Ake Dahlstrom and Leif Brost (Hardcover)

<ahem>

Buy this book, and when you can stop drooling at the pictures, call me and we will talk.

Gorgeous pictures, worth the <pathetically small> cost of the book by themselves. A wide ranging course of study on the basics of the Amber trade and a comprehensive scientific primer on the nature of Amber, are a wonderful bonus.

The book also includes several methods for determining if what you have is real or synthetic Amber, as well as a solid discussion of the various types of fakes that are on the market, and how to spot them.

I sell Amber and Jet, both of which are fossil "gemstones" and I always recommend this book to my customers. A well informed customer is the best way to keep honest merchants in business, since they are unlikely to pass up quality work in favor of the "bargain" that is really a fake.

I recomend the book "Jet Jewelry and Ornaments" by Helen Muller for a similar overview on Jet. I can also recommend the Dorling and Kimberly (DK Books) Gemstone book for an overview of gemstones in general.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Study of Amber, September 2, 2008

By 

Michael H. Cooper (Bronx, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Amber Book: Ake Dahlstrom and Leif Brost (Hardcover)

The Amber Book, by Dahlstrom and Brost makes for good reading by anyone interested in amber. The book is well written, there are many beautiful pictures and drawings. What I found most enjoyable about the book are the little anecdots along the margin of the book which are filled with facts and lore. The authors discuss primarily amber found in the baltic region. I wished the authors had given more coverage to amber found in other parts of the world. All in all a nice book and an easy read.