This large format, lavishly illustrated book is silk-bound and slip cased. The book examines man's relations with gold through myth, art, religion, the economy and everyday life. The Gold of the World traces the course followed throughout the world and through the centuries in man's quest for gold. It begins with the first acquaintance with the precious metal and continues with the search to locate it and the techniques and methods by which it was worked. From the author's Prologue: 'This book attempts to trace the course taken by gold in the company of man. An endeavour of this kind does not try to exhaust the evidence, it simply touches on matters, describes them with a few words and leaves the reader to dream of the Conquistadors of Columbus, the gold-diggers of California, the moneychangers of Istanbul in Kapali Carsi, of Peshawar in Sarapha Bazaar, to dream of the brokers of Wall Street the day of the great crash in 1929, and the miners of the Transvaal the day they found the huge nugget of gold weighing 70 kilos.' Almost 500 colour illustrations cover the place of gold in our lives in every period of human history, from prehistory to the major ancient civilizations and from the America of Conquistadores to the Europe of the great artists.

The very first book devoted to antique silver lemon strainers, this is the fruit of a decade's research by a biology teacher turned silver expert who gives equal weight to analysis and aesthetics. Lemon strainers, normally consigned to the 'miscellany' pages of antique silver guides, are varied, beautiful and collectable and survive in surprising numbers considering their 150 years of use in punch making ended 200 years ago: the author's database contains 900 examples from England, Ireland, Scotland and America. After an extensive introduction, lemon strainers are described in 27 categories and lavishly illustrated with 268 figures.

This superbly illustrated book accompanies an exhibition of thirty objects from the exceptional collection of English silver in the Moscow Kremlin Museums, where the world's greatest surviving group of English sixteenth- and seventeenth-century silver is housed. Much of the silver from this period was melted down during the English Civil War, making the pieces at the Kremlin exceedingly rare and historically important. The silver items-a large water pot with snake-shaped handle and spout, a flat drinking cup, a magnificent flagon shaped like a leopard, and more-exemplify the developing ties between England and Russia. Some pieces were brought to Russia as diplomatic gifts, some were presented by English trading agents, while others were purchased for the Tsar's Treasury. Setting these silver treasures in fuller context, the catalogue also features precious objects made by Russian craftsmen, a group of English firearms from the Kremlin collection, and portraits, engravings, books, and maps that illuminate the important diplomatic and commercial exchanges that were taking place between the two countries. In addition to essays by Kremlin curators Natalya Abramova, Elena Yablonskaya, and Irina Zagarodnaya, the catalogue will include writings by Paul Bushkovitch, Olga Dmitrieva, Philippa Glanville, Maija Jansson, and Edward Kasinec. Published in association with the Yale Center for British Art Exhibition Schedule: The Gilbert Collection, London (mid-October, 2006 - January 2007) Yale Center for British Art (May 25 - September 10, 2006)

Intended as works of art, many incorporate rare or exotic materials, and their complex designs and dense programs of ornament reflect the intellectual pre-occupations of the 16th century mind. The Schroder Collection of Renaissance Silver is among the most important to remain in private hands. Formed between about 1870 and 1930 over two generations of the Anglo-German banking family, it includes outstanding historic objects from England, Germany, Italy and elsewhere. Some of these formally belonged to princely collections such as the royal house of Hanover, the renowned Green Vault from Dresden or the Hollenzohen family. Others came from famous church treasuries, dispersed at the time of the French Revolution or the early 19th-century secularisation in Germany. Intended as works of art rather than practical objects, many incrporate rare or exotic materials. Polished nautilus shells from the Pacific, early Chinese porcelain or skilfully carved rock-crystal were all regarded as desirable materials for mounting into precious cups or vases. They also reflect, through their complex designs and dense programmes of ornament, the intellectual preoccupations of the 16th-century mind.The effect of this ensemble is to give a rare sense of the diversity and virtuosity of the Renaissance goldsmith and a hint of the world of the Renaissance treasury which today only survives in such places as Dresden, Munich and Vienna.

The first publication to examine the pioneering designer and prolific collector who led Tiffany & Co. to creative and commercial success A silversmith, designer, and prodigious collector, Edward C. Moore (1827-1891) was the creative leader who brought Tiffany & Co. toun paralleled originality and success during the late nineteenth century. This informative, richly illustrated volume-the first study of Moore's life and influence-presents more than 175 examples from his vast collection, ranging from Greek and Roman glass to Spanish vases, Islamic metalwork, and Japanese textiles. These are juxtaposed with sixty-nine magnificent silver objects created by the designers and artisans at Tiffany who were inspired by Moore's acquisitions. The illuminating texts have been enriched by groundbreaking research into newspapers, periodicals, the Tiffany & Co. Archives, a newly identified technical manual, and supervisor's diaries, all of which provide an intimate look at the firm's design processes and Moore's role in shaping them. A valuable contribution to the history of American decorative arts, Collecting Inspiration illuminates the legendary Tiffany aesthetic and the legacy of a significant collector, designer, and entrepreneur of the Gilded Age. Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule: