Jade in Ancient Costa Rica

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Book Reviews of Jade in Ancient Costa Rica

Book Review: A superb book
Summary: 5 Stars

Since the book description on this page is rather incomplete, I'd like to take a moment to briefly describe the contents. This book consists of 4 chapters: "The Archaeological Context of Jade in Costa Rica" by Juan Vicente Guerrero, "Mesoamerican Jade and Costa Rica" by Mark Miller Graham, "The Imagery and Symbolism of pre-Columbian Jade in Costa Rica" by Michael J. Snarskis, and "The Collections of the Museo del Jade" by Zulay Soto Mendez. While each article is great it is Snarskis' contribution that stands out in my mind. The book also contains an exhibition catalog of jade artifacts, an extensive bibliography, and thorough index. While the volume is slim at 144 pages, keep in mind that the price is also modest. And those 144 pages are used very wisely; there is a lot of useful information in this slim volume. In short, this is a useful volume for any scholar with an interest in pre-Columbian history.

There is a useful selection of maps and diagrams, and the photographs are of wonderful quality. While there is a large number of photographs of jade artifacts, what is notable is the size and quality of many of the photographs. Most of these photographs are by Joseph Coscia Jr., of the Photograph Studio of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Coscia's use of lighting in his photographs is superb, with the shadows serving to perfectly bring out the texture and the detail of the pieces. The lay-out, typesetting, and photographs all come together to create a book that is lovely to look at even if you can't read English. In a word, this volume is beautiful.

Obviously such a book has a rather limited audience. Scholars in such fields as art history and archaeology of pre-Columbian Central America will certainly find this volume useful, and it certainly belongs on the shelves of larger public libraries and in community college libraries that have a strong art or history focus. And obviously, this volume belongs in the library system of any university. Any educated person with an interest in art and history would benefit greatly from reading this book before vacationing in Costa Rica. It's the perfect preparation to get the most out of a day at the Jade Museum located in San Jose.

Summary of Jade in Ancient Costa Rica

Exhibition Catalogs Books

• Subjects > Arts & Photography > Museum Exhibition Catalogs
• History & Criticism
• Schools, Periods & Styles > Ancient & Classical
• Professional & Technical > Architecture