Portable Personal Possessions (Artifacts of the Spanish Colonies of Florida and the Caribbean, 1500-1800 - Volume 2) [Hardcover]

Kathleen A. Deagan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 158834035X | ISBN-13: 978-1588340351 | Publication Date: June 17, 2002

This long-awaited follow-up to Deagan’s first volume on ceramics, glassware, and beads focuses on the portable personal objects owned and used by the residents of Spanish colonial America. These objects are not only of Spanish origin; the collection includes many English, French, Dutch, German, Italian, and American pieces as well. Deagan not only provides an authoritative source of identification for these items but also draws extensively on colonial documents, travel accounts, paintings, and museum collections, as well as other contemporary sources to suggest specific functions of the items and the meanings they held for the people who used them. She documents and demonstrates how the objects were made and exchanged in the Americas, and explores how they embody Hispanic cultural identities, attitudes, and belief systems.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian Books (June 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158834035X
• ISBN-13: 978-1588340351
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 1.2 x 10.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for any Spanish colonial archaeologist!, September 23, 2005

By 

K. Kennedy "Archeologue" (Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Portable Personal Possessions (Artifacts of the Spanish Colonies of Florida and the Caribbean, 1500-1800 - Volume 2) (Hardcover)

This book (along with Vol. 1) is a seminal work and a necessity for any archaeologist interested in or focusing on Spanish colonial archaeology. I would highly recommend buying both this book and Vol. 1., which is out of print at this time, but can still be found online. (If you're on a budget, just buy Vol. 1.) Everything from beads to medallions to majolica is described with likely date ranges and places of manufacture included. Collectors will also find this book useful in identifying items of Spanish origin.

The only drawback to this book is its lack of color plates. There are photos (black and white only) illustrating almost all of the categories, but much of the text would have been more informative if color examples were included.