Amber: Window to the Past

by David A. Grimaldi and American Museum of Natural History

Book Overview

Originally published to accompany a 1996 exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, this volume, now in paperback, explores the properties of amber (fossilized tree resin) and reveals its role in tracing evolutionary history and its use in the decorative arts and jewellery.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810926520
• ISBN13: 9780810926523
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 2.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 9.1" x 11.1"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Very thorough text

This book was a well written book on Amber through the ages. With beautiful photos of amber, some with inclusion's of insect's. I would recommend this book who like myself has a fascination with this time capsule to the distant past. Larry Carter

An Excellent Source Book on Amber

For those familiar with the semiprecious gemstone know as amber, once you see it and come to know of it's origins and eventually start to collect it, it becomes somewhat of a quest to know all there is to know about amber. Mr. Grimaldi's work, Amber: Window to the Past, is an excellent source book. The various pictures included inside the book are worth the price alone. He covers the historical facts surrounding the discovery of amber, as well as the myths about amber. Unlike other works on this subject Mr. Grimaldi covers in detail how amber is mined and the various locations in the world where amber is found. He also talks about how amber varies depending on where its found. For instance Baltic amber is very different from amber found in the Dominican Republic. There are other interesting facts and details about amber that are well covered in this book. One disappointment however that I had, having nothing to do with the book, was that I recently visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The collection on display was minimal. There was no information about how amber is formed or any information about inclusions sometimes contained within the amber. There are other museums around the world which treat the subject with much more detail. Whether you are a beginner or a long time collector of amber, this book is enjoyable and would be a welcome addition to your library.

Beautifully done, David

The book has a wonderfully readable text to compliment the beautiful color plates, and David's illustrations of inclusions and the rainforest are impeccable. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand and learn about amber from this work, however, I must say, David, you are a talented genius and I read every word. All my friends are fascinated by the book and the author.

An excellent book for both the expert and browser

Some of you may be aware of the current amber exhibition at the Natural History Museum in New York. At the same time as the launch of this exhibition David Grimaldi; chairman, associate curator and organiser of this display has authored and published a new book on amber to compliment the show. New books on amber, particularly in English are so rare that I have taken the liberty of reviewing the work here for those who are interested. My credentials are thin for this task. I collect amber and have an extensive collection of pieces with flora and fauna inclusions. I read and collect articles, books and any work on amber I can get my hands on. I have had work published myself in my other existence as a management consultant. So I have some idea of the demands made on writers and authors. However, with your forgiveness I submit this review for your interest; `tis a meagre a thing, but mine own1. The book, `Amber - Window to the Past1 is immediately impressive both by its size and rich colour jacket. The cover shot at first sight might be some kind of artistic abstract picture, but is actually a photograph of several insects trapped in a piece Dominican Republic amber, a great attention grabber. The book was printed and bound in Japan and this countries predilection for quality and precision is clearly present in this work. There are 230 illustrations, which include 115 colour plates. Amongst these are some old line drawings and pictures which have been published in other works. These seek to illustrate certain inclusions and methods of amber collection. They help contextualise and place amber in an historical setting and their presence is understandable. The majority of pictures are however entirely new, 95+%. The photography is exemplary. Photographing amber myself I recognise the difficulties and problems one encounters, but here only the best and most lavish illustrations have been used. The pages simply ooze class. The book is principle divided into two sections: Amber in Nature and Amber in Art. The nature section begins by illustrating the origins of amber, how it came into existence, the types of trees which created it and is replete with interesting quotes and diagrams. Having already mentioned the graphical content of this work I will emphasise that nearly every page of text is supported with pictures and drawings which are comprehensible and useful. They helps immensely with understanding some of the processes and concepts dealt with in the work. There are the merest handful of areas where both facing pages are full of text with no graphical content. That in 208 pages is quite a feat. The following chapter covers geographical distribution of amber deposits. A minor exception here is the Isle of Wight amber deposit just off the South coast of the United Kingdom. This is a rich if very small source of some of the most ancient amber in the world and yet other than a few papers published by Dr Edward A. Jarzembowski has r