Throughout history; precious stones have inspired passions and poetry; quests and curses; sacred writings and unsacred actions. In this scintillating book; journalist Victoria Finlay embarks on her own globe-circling search for the real stories behind some of the gems we prize most. Blending adventure travel; geology; exciting new research; and her own irresistible charm; Finlay has fashioned a treasure hunt for some of the most valuable; glamorous; and mysterious substances on earth.With the same intense curiosity and narrative flair she displayed in her widely-praised book Color; Finlay journeys from the underground opal churches of outback Australia to the once pearl-rich rivers of Scotland; from the peridot mines on an Apache reservation in Arizona to the remote ruby mines in the mountains of northern Burma. She risks confronting scorpions to crawl through Cleopatrarsquo;s long-deserted emerald mines; tries her hand at gem cutting in the dusty Sri Lankan city where Marco Polo bartered for sapphires; and investigates a rumor that fifty years ago most of the worldrsquo;s amber was mined by prisoners in a Soviet gulag.Jewels is a unique and often exhilarating voyage through history; across cultures; deep into the earthrsquo;s mantle; and up to the glittering heights of fame; power; and wealth. From the fabled curse of the Hope Diamond; to the disturbing truths about how pearls are cultured; to the peasants who were once executed for carrying amber to the centuries-old quest by magicians and scientists to make a perfect diamond; Jewels tells dazzling stories with a wonderment and brilliance truly worthy of its subjects.From the Hardcover edition.
#345377 in eBooks 2006-08-15 2006-08-15File Name: B000QCQ9U2
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very disappointed that many of these are only a selection of ...By John P. IrishVery disappointed that many of these are only a selection of the works. For example; the Clarke illustrations; there are 10 included in this book; but 30 were done. This could have been a really nice Poe resource; if they had all been included. I give it 2 stars because it does include a large number of different illustrators.11 of 12 people found the following review helpful. The Best Available at a Great PriceBy Marshall VandruffExcellent deal on a varied collection of old illustrations. Im sure they are reprinted from reprints; so there is the inevitable loss of a generation that makes these reproductions lose detail from previous versions (especially with the Doreacute;s); but whoever has prepared them for print has done a superb job; and Im speaking as a Photoshop pro. Unless you have the original books; you wont do better. And the collection comes from all over - it includes Dulac plates that Id never seen; and versions of Rackham at higher resolution than Ive seen so far. Dover does it well.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent OverviewBy Doubting ThomasThis book offers a great overview of the many artists who have illustrated Poes work. The illustrations are beautifully reproduced.