Since its first publication in 1987 as ‘The History of Beads’, this book has become the world’s definitive guide for bead lovers, collectors and scholars.

Beautifully packaged with a new cover, this volume is a must-have for devotees of the first edition and for the next generation of bead obsessives and aficionados. The latest revisions include an update on the oldest bead ever discovered, now dated to around 100,000 BC, and an explanation on why beads worn on the human body were the original media communication system. Beads are far more than mere personal adornment. They have been used throughout the world as talismans, as status symbols, for religion and for barter. Every bead is a capsule of cultural information, containing a fascinating tale of the origins of its materials, its manufacture, its many uses, perhaps its travels, and its potent symbolism.