Asia's Maritime Bead Trade: 300 B.C. to the Present [Hardcover]

Peter Francis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2002

This fascinating study is the first detailed description of the ancient and enduring trade in beads that spans more than two millennia and once stretched from the Middle East to East Asia and affected areas as far apart as West Africa and the American Pacific coast. Beads are universal and among the earliest art forms. Made of glass, semiprecious stone, or precious organic materials such as amber and coral, they were ubiquitous in the ancient world, serving as decorations, magical charms, mnemonic and counting devices, symbols of wealth and status. Much of the ancient bead trade was incorporated in Asian maritime commerce, and many of the beads involved have Asian origins.

Peter Francis, Jr., a pioneer in bead studies, incorporates firsthand knowledge of beads and beadmaking in the field with years of solid, scholarly research, effectively eliminating much of the hearsay and speculation that so often characterize works on beads. In addition to the production, use, and provenance of beads, he examines the importance of the bead trade for the economies of the countries involved and provides insights into the lives of its many participants: artisans, mariners, and merchants. He covers the widely-dispersed Indo-Pacific beads (sometimes called Trade Wind beads or mulisalah), Chinese glass beads, Middle Eastern glass beads, Indian stone beads, heirloom beads in Southeast Asia and Micronesia, and other minor beads and bead industries involved in the trade. Well illustrated with maps, drawings, and black-and-white and color photographs, Asia's Maritime Bead Trade will be of great interest to historians and archaeologists trying to understand the dynamics of Asia's evolving cultures, and will prove invaluable to collectors, dealers, and students of beads.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Francis, Jr. has devoted most of his adult life to the study of beads. He is the director of the Center for Bead Research, which he founded in 1979, and the webmaster of TheBeadSite.com, the most popular site of its kind. He is the author of Beads of the World, one of the standard books on beads, and has published hundreds of articles. He has worked with librarians, historians, archaeologists, and ethnographers--combining the methods and data of many fields--to uncover the story of beads and how they relate to people.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 305 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Hawaii Pr (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082482332X
• ISBN-13: 978-0824823320
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #903,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for beads collectors, February 8, 2009

By 

Vladimir Krayushkin (Moscow, Russian Federation) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Asia's Maritime Bead Trade: 300 B.C. to the Present (Hardcover)

Very interesting desciptive history of beadmakers locations and trade roads from early history. Many of the maps give you good understanding of the directions and type of the bead trade.