A selection of new books which have been added to the Chantry Library collection over the past month :
International Law and the Protection of Cultural Heritage by Craig Forrest, Routledge, Abingdon, 2010, 458pp. ISBN: 978-0-415-68417-0
The world’s cultural heritage is under threat from war, illicit trafficking, social and economic upheaval, unregulated excavation and neglect. Over a period of almost fifty years, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has adopted five international conventions that attempt to protect this cultural heritage. This book comprehensively and critically considers these five UNESCO cultural heritage conventions. The book looks at the conventions in the context of recent events that have exposed the dangers faced by cultural heritage, including the destruction of cultural heritage sites in Iraq and the looting of the Baghdad museum, the destruction the Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan, the salvage of artefacts from the RMS Titanic and the illicit excavation and trade in Chinese, Peruvian and Italian archaeological objects.
As the only existing work to consider all five of the cultural heritage conventions adopted by UNESCO, the book acts as an introduction to this growing area of international law. However, the book does not merely describe the conventional principles and rules, but, critically evaluates the extent to which these international law principles and rules provide an effective and coherent international law framework for the protection of cultural heritage.
Protection of First Nations Cultural Heritage: Laws, Policy, and Reform edited by Catherine Bell & Robert K. Paterson, UBC Press, Vancouver, 2009, 441pp. ISBN: 978-0-7748-1464-5
Indigenous peoples around the world are seeking greater control over tangible and intangible cultural heritage. In Canada, issues concerning repatriation and trade of material culture, heritage site protection, treatment of ancestral remains, and control over intangible heritage are governed by a complex legal and policy environment.
Books as History: the Importance of Books Beyond Their Texts (revised edition), The British Library, London & Oak Knoll Press, New Castle, DE. 19727, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-7123-5832-3 (BL)
David Pearson examines books as artefacts, for their interesting qualities beyond their texts: their design and artistic value, and for their unique properties deriving from the ways they have been printed, bound, annotated, beautified or defaced. Taking examples from the Middle Ages to the present day, he shows that books develop their own individual histories, which provide important evidence about the way they were used and regarded in the past, and which make them an indispensable part of the fabric of our cultural heritage. Includes updated first and final chapters.
Looking at European Ceramics: a Guide to Technical Terms by David Harris Cohen and Catherine Hess, The J. Paul Getty Museum in association with British Museum Press, California and London, 1993, ISBN: 0-89236-216-2
What is maiolica? What is stoneware? What is the difference between hard-paste and soft-paste porcelain? This book , co- published by the Getty Museum and the British Museum, offers the answers to these and other questions concerning the techniques, processes, and materials used in the production of European ceramics. Its numerous illustrations – most of them in colour – provide a rich and informative guide to the ceramist’s art through the centuries.
Looking at Glass: A Guide to Terms, Styles, and Techniques by Catherine Hess & Karol Wight, Getty Publications, Los Angeles, 2005, 95pp ISBN: 0-89236-750-4
Ranging from ancient Roman moldmade glass to modern pressed glass, this glossary is a handy guide for museum-goers and anyone interested in the art of glassmaking. Glass terminology and the often arcane technical terms relating to the production and decoration of glass, as well as names of special shapes of glass beakers, are defined succinctly.
Illustrated with samples of Roman, Renaissance, Victorian, and modern glass, as well as engravings showing glassmakers at work, the book is both a visual delight and an informative small reference work. Objects shown are from the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum; the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York; and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. A short bibliography rounds out the volume.
Pest Management: a practical guide by David Pinniger, Collections Trust, London, 978-1-900642-19-4
This guide provides cultural heritage organisations with essential information on identifying and dealing with pest problems, and gives comprehensive guidance on implementing an effective pest management programme.
