A couple of weeks ago, we had some dialogue about the new book, The Beads of St. Catherines Island, by Blair, Pendleton, and Francis. Happily, Lorann Pendleton sent me a copy of her book, that arrived a few days ago.
I am happy to recommend it!
The book is a soft-cover volume of 300 pages. We can see the cover here. St Catherines Island is a repository for nearly 70,000 beads/trade beads that were archaeologically recovered over the past twenty-something years. The late Peter Francis, Jr. consulted with the primary author to help describe the beads and compose essays of historical and technical import. There are a number of color photos throughout the book, concluding with twelve (12) full-page color Plates showing the beads, enlarged. (See the next post for two examples.)
Needless to say, I have not read the book in its entirety yet, but I immediately began to look through it, and to read from the beginning. Although I can't be expected to agree with everything in it (what else is new?), I am impressed by the care, breadth, and scope of the work, and the decent quality of the book itself. (The Post Office attempted to mangle the package to stuff it into my Box, but it fared pretty well, considering.) This is a must-have for anyone who is interested in historical bead trade.
Jamey
