Beads of the World: A Collector's Guide With Revised Price Reference (A Schiffer Book for Collectors) [Paperback]

Peter Francis (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Schiffer Book for Collectors | Publication Date: October 1, 1999

The friendly text and hundreds of color photographs of beads from around the world bring order to this awesome field of growing popular interest. This new book makes the identification of beads possible. Written to encourage collectors and clarify the origins and uses of beads in their native settings, this book provides the best and broadest reference available to date. Furthermore, newly revised pricing information makes this book useful in today's marketplace. Beads of organic, stone, and glass materials are individually discussed. Then Mr. Francis traces certain types of beads to their origins in Europe, the Middle East, India, the Far East, Southeast Asia, North and South America and Africa--literally circling the globe. Jewelry makers and collectors, artists, hobbyists and serious historians alike will find Mr. Francis's personally researched and clearly stated explanations fascinating.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Francis, Jr. is the founder of the Center for Bead Research in Lake Placid, New York. His dedicated work as a bead historian has taken him around the world several times.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing; 2 Revised edition (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076430884X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764308840
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #611,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best bead book, June 16, 2000

By 

Elizabeth Bennett "Africa Direct" (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beads of the World: A Collector's Guide With Revised Price Reference (A Schiffer Book for Collectors) (Paperback)

I am a bead dealer, and I have about 15 books on beads. This is, hands down, the one I use most. When I look for information on a bead, I am more likely to find it in this book than anywhere else. If you get only one book on beads, make it this one.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For buyers, not researchers, December 21, 2003

By 

diplocase (Gabon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beads of the World: A Collector's Guide With Price Reference (Paperback)

After 20 years working in Africa and collecting beads, I find this the best book of its type for people actually going into African markets, American bead shows, and flea markets looking to buy rare or collectible beads. It is not the right book for someone who doesn't yet know the basics about where and how the major types of beads are/were fabricated, how they have traveled, and the ethnographics associated with their past and present uses. (For those subjects, try Dubin, J. Allen, Liu, Picard, and Beckworth's Africa Adorned.) But for ballpark pricing, comparisons, and availability, there's nothing better in print.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, November 24, 2003

By 

merrymousies (Waterford, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beads of the World: A Collector's Guide With Revised Price Reference (A Schiffer Book for Collectors) (Paperback)

I boughtthis book for my mom - she was getting really into hunting for beads (and buttons but that's another story) at yard sales, antique stores etc. She didn't really know what she was buying - just what she liked - so I bought this book for her about a year ago and she has loved it ever since. There are a lot of pictures, descriptions and background info on the different types of beads. If nothing else, it has provided a good foundation for her in her hunt for more beads so she knows a little more about the types/styles to look for (in addition to just what she happend to like)