Book Description
The decades of the 1960s, '70s, and '80s were a time of growth and change in producing, marketing, and collecting Native American artwork and craftwork. During this time William R. Wright amassed a collection notable for its broad representation of twentieth-century Native American products. Focusing on the Southwest, he included contemporary Pueblo ceramics, Navajo and Hopi textiles, Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni jewelry, and baskets from some forty different Native American groups. The objects Wright gathered, which are now part of the collections of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, reflect developments in the intersecting worlds of makers, markets, and collectors, including the challenges faced by makers to successfully balance tradition and innovation in their work and their lives. This volume examines selected objects from the Wright collection to explore the market-influenced environment of modern Native American makers and their work, from what some consider the low end of tourist art multiples to the high end of unique, signed fine art objects. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent presentation of an important collection
As a dealer in Southwestern American Indian fine arts and hand crafted, traditional items, I am always on the lookout for books I can recommend to our collectors and students of the indigenous arts here in America.

ThePeabody Museum Press has produced a work that should be included thelibrary of every serious collector of traditional Southwestern AmericanIndian handcrafted arts. For collectors of Navajo and Pueblo textiles andbaskets we consider it mandatory reading. It's overview and cataloging ofthe highly regarded William Wright Collection is particularly notable forits excellent introduction, descriptions of the lifeways and culturaltraditions of the artists, and collateral detail notes found throughout. Editor, Penelope Ballard Drooker has given us a very readable distillationof information from many sources which serves to enhance the understandingof the evolution of the state of the arts invbolved in the time frame theywere collected: 1960's - 70's.

We especially appreciated the detailphotography. While the reproduction of some of the images seemed a bitflat, overall they were still well -lit and shot with sufficient depth offield to convey the textural nature of many of the items very well.Thecolor sections, especially conveyed the vitaltiy of the works pictured.

From the perspective of the serious collector, Publications like thisprovide us with insight and further expand our knowledge of the developmentand marketing of these arts as well as the acheivements of individualartists.Few of us can travel frequently enough to benefit fromexhibitions of collections as broad and thoughful as the William WrightCollection.Catalog publications, when presented in as complete a manneras Makers and Markets allow us all the benefits without the miles.

Wewill encourage our collectors to obtain copies for their own continuingeducation and enjoyment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Essential Reading in the Discipline
This anthology illustrates the core problems in Native North American Art History by showing the paradoxes in its founding methodology.The essays deal directly with early scholars' and collectors' cultural barriers tounderstanding their subjects.The book provides examples of how toquestion the idealogical bases of what we often accept as the truthregarding the work.

I've found it to be immensely useful in a course thatsurveys the field; students develop a better appreciation for the work bystudying the wider implications of ethnography and collecting.Inparticular, Marvin Cohodas' essay on Louisa Keyser often opens the way tonew levels of understanding the contradictions in the discipline.

Anyonewith a serious interest in native art should read this collection. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Never mind how the West was won; this pictorial history of how it was sold is far more interesting. Harvey, who emigrated from England at 15 and started out as a dishwasher, created the first chain of restaurants and railroad hotels in the U.S.--which his heirs expanded into a virtual empire. A person traveling from Chicago to California could stop at Harvey's flagship hotel in Albuquerque and have a complete Southwestern cultural experience without ever leaving the hotel--or so the sales pitch went. All told, a beautifully illustrated, down-to-earth chronicle of how Native America's culture was bastardized for a buck. ... Read more

Book Description
Stolen Indian artifacts…A murdered museum guard…A missing woman…A baby in danger…

Only Desiree can unearth the horrifying secret that links them all.

Museum security expert Desiree Jacobs doesn’t mean to get in danger’s path. Really she doesn’t. But when a friend is in trouble you don’t just walk away. No matter what your overprotective FBI agent boyfriend says! So when Desi and Tony’s date at a presidential ball is interrupted by a frantic Maxine Webb, Desi doesn’t hesitate to jump in.

Soon Desi is neck-deep in a confusing array of villains. Did Max’s niece run away or was she taken? Is she still alive or the victim of a perverse ritual? And who wants her infant son–and why?

Then Tony’s organized crime case collides with Desi’s investigation, throwing them both into the path of something dark and sinister. Something that craves blood…

From the streets of Desi’s beloved Boston to the mountain desert of New Mexico, Desi and Tony must rely on God to thwart unseen forces–and save a young woman and her baby from a villain more evil than any of them can imagine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Enjoyable AND sharp.
In her novels Jill Nelson has a way of simplifying some of the most prickly issues Christians face today. One of my favorite scenes in her latest novel, The Reluctant Runaway, involves the heroine, Desiree Jacobs and her Native American kidnapper, Pete Cheama, a member of the Zuni tribe. Pete has made plenty of bad choices in his life, and he ultimately blames his mistakes on Christians, whose system "was forced upon [his] people centuries ago and has made [their] spirits weak and [their] minds confused." No Christian wants to feel her faith has weakened or confused anyone, so sometimes we refrain from even discussing Christianity. But Desiree merely responds, "Jesus is not an oppressor." Right there, concisely--the difference between true Christianity and any faith that demands, rather than invites.

Nelson's novel is a fun read, with plenty of suspense and action (and some clever romance, to boot). You could enjoy the entire reading experience without stopping to focus on the choice tidbits about faith with which she occasionally peppers the story. But those tidbits deepen the novel and make it stay with you well after you finish the last page. I'd recommend Reluctant Runaway for teen-through-adult readers.

Another gripping tale by Jill Nelson
In this engaging sequel to Reluctant Burglar, museum security expert Desiree Jacobs, once again becomes drawn into a mystery when Max's niece goes missing. Could her disappearance have anything to do with Tony's organized crime case? As their romance heats up, so does the trail that leads to stolen artifacts, leading them both to the New Mexico dessert. They must learn to trust God, not only with their surmounting dangers, but with their romance. Is it possible that this new religious cult, is at the center of these mysteries?
As in Reluctant Burglar, Jill Nelson has once again masterfully weaved a tale of suspense and drama while demonstrating the power of faith to overcome the worst of our fears and obstacles. As the romance develops between Desiree and Tony, an FBI agent, the reader is shown the hand of God in even this, our most intimate of human relationships. Is it possible for these two, an over-protective cop and an independent, sometimes risk-taker security expert, to find a peaceful coexistence in which their love can blossom?
Although the plot can be read independently from the book's forerunner, Reluctant Runaway, has achieved the best of sequel writing. Not only has the author improved on her story telling techniques, but has added depth and challenge to an all-ready intriguing story. Very enjoyable read.

Don't "Runaway" from this book! =)
Okay, cheesy title for this review, I know - but guys, this was a super fun read! I liked it even better than the first in this series, and I didn't think that would happen! Jill Nelson has somehow managed to create a book that is at the same time fun and serious, intense and light, funny and shocking...what a combo! My favorite part of Jill's books are by far the characters - so realistic. They crack me up, yet two pages later, they have me tearing up.

Job well done, Jill.

As for the rest of you - check out this series ASAP! You won't regret it!

Don't Be Reluctant!
Security expert Desiree Jacobs' friend and business associate Maxine has a problem. Max's niece is missing. Kidnapping victim or a runaway? No one knows, but it seems everyone has an opinion. The niece also works for a museum that was recently robbed of priceless items. Right before the niece's disappearance. Now things are getting worse. Desi has to step in and help. But wait! She's promised her FBI boyfriend Tony that she won't get involved in such things anymore. But she has to, right? This is her friend we're talking about. And when Desi and Tony's individual cases collide sparks aplenty fly.

If you'll pardon the obvious pun, I was reluctant to read this novel which is book two in the series. See, I'm ashamed to say I hadn't read book one. And Jill Nelson is my pal. Oh I'd read a chapter of book one that was posted to her website once. That was enough to convince me she was a good writer. I knew that. I've been swamped with books that I had to read. It seems there's never an end sometimes. Oh the horrors! :-)

The opportunity came for me to read book two, Reluctant Runaway. As a member of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance we're plugging this novel this week. I received a copy of it to read a review. So glad I did. And the fact that it was the second in a series never tripped me up. Jill's sprinkles enough backstory to set you at ease with the characters, all the while taking you on a thrill ride like no theme park you've ever been to.

It was a pleasure to read this novel. Jill's writing is tight and easy to read. Her characters are engaging and endearing. And the cliff hangers at some of the chapters! Shesh! I was already to put the book down for a while at one point to do some other things and then a gun went off at the end of the chapter. Ack! Who's dead? I couldn't stop reading there. Nuh uh. :-)

Now I'm looking forward to going back in time and reading book one in the To Catch A Thief series, Reluctant Burglar. And then there's the upcoming book three, Reluctant Smuggler.

Can't wait!

Entertaining Who Done What...

Part action packed who-done-what and part romantic suspense, I found myself sucked into Reluctant Runaway. I didn't meet the crime fighting duo of Desi and Tony in the Reluctant Burglar but Nelson did a great job at sharing enough details of the first book without oversharing and intruding on the story at hand.

Several amusing scenes interspersed with cliffhangers made the read roller coasty. Forgiveness is a huge spiritual theme as is discernment and the danger of tiny shifts in the Gospel message.

If you enjoyed book one in the series, you're going to want to get your hands on Reluctant Runaway as soon as possible. If you like romantic suspense, strong female leads and sassy talk -- you'll likely enjoy this novel.



... Read more

Book Description
For more than one hundred years, tourists and residents alike have flocked to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, located on Seattle's waterfront. Here a mummy nicknamed Sylvester, a collection of shrunken heads from Ecuador, a two-headed calf, and a mermaid preside over walls and cases crammed with an incredible jumble of souvenirs and trinkets, intermixed with authentic Northwest Coast and Alaskan Eskimo carvings, baskets, blankets, and other artworks. The guestbook records visits by Theodore Roosevelt, Will Rogers, Jack Dempsey, Charlie Chaplin, J. Edgar Hoover, Katherine Hepburn, John Wayne, Sylvester Stallone, and Queen Marie of Rumania, among many others.

Ye Olde Curiosity Shop was founded in 1899 by Joseph E. "Daddy" Standley, an Ohio-born curio collector who came to Seattle in the late 1890s during the Yukon gold rush. Although Native American material vied for space with exotica from all corners of the globe, it soon grew to be the mainstay of the shop, which became identified with the whalebones displayed outside and the "piles of old Eskimo relics" within. Also to be found were baskets, moccasins, ivory carving from Alaska, Tlingit spruce root baskets, Haida "jadeite" totem poles, masks, paddles, and other curiosities from the Northwest Coast. Indians from the Olympic Peninsula brought baskets, coming up to the back door of the shop in their canoes. Others, originally from British Columbia but now living on the flats not far from the shop, carved miniature totem poles by the hundreds and full-size poles on commission. Trading companies supplied Indian curios from the Plains, Southwest, and California.

An art historian trained in the classic arts of the Northwest Coast, Kate Duncan became interested in the history of the shop when she learned that it had not only been an active participant in Seattle's 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition but had also been a major source of important Northwest Coast collections in many museums, including, among others, the Royal Ontario Museum, the George G. Heye Collection (now in the Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian), the Washington State Museum, the Newark Museum, the Portland Art Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History. Granted full access by the present owners-grandson and great-grandson of "Daddy" Standley-to the remarkably complete archives maintained from the time the shop opened, Duncan has provided a fascinating chapter in the history of Seattle, especially in its early years, as well as a significant contribution to the literature on tourist arts and collecting.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating!
This book was fascinating!I couldn't put it down.As a long time Seattle resident I have visited this shop on the waterfront many times.It was really intersting to read all the history and stories about this place over the years.It brought back memories of going there when I was young. ... Read more

Book Description
This profusely illustrated auction catalog for the Heritage Important Native American Art the Hendershott Collection Signature Auction #643 conducted on September 29, 2006 in New York City, NY is accompanied by a complete list of the prices realized for each item sold. A valuable reference, which makes interesting reading for hobbyists and researchers.

Heritage Auction Galleries is the world's largest collectibles auction house (over $450 million in annual sales), and the third largest public auctioneer in the United States. Heritage specializes in live and online auctions in venues throughout the United States of rare coins and currency, vintage sports collectibles, comic books and comic art, illustration art, Americana, celebrity and music memorabilia, autographs, books, manuscripts, and historical memorabilia. Heritage now also auctions fine American and European paintings and decorative arts. Heritage's website offers free online auction results archives to its 225,000+ registered Internet bidder-members (membership is free), with over one million enlargeable images. Whether you are a collector or a potential seller or consignor, these back-issue auction catalogs from Amazon.com are a perfect way to learn more about Heritage and the collectibles categories and markets that interest you most. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Beautiful
This catalogue is divided into the following chapters: Pottery and Baskets, Weavings, Plains, Weapons, and Photographs. ... Read more

Book Description
An exquisite collection of twentieth century Native American art. "In the Spirit of the Ancestors" documents the Kappmeyer collection, an outstanding group of works celebrating excellence in pottery, kachinas, weavings, basketry, metalwork, painting, and sculpture.Against a backdrop of beautiful full-color and vintage photographs, "In the Spirit" documents this important collection, providing fascinating introduction to Southwestern Native American art. Over 80 photographs illustrate more than 300 works of art, most of which have not been previously published.From the matriarchs of pueblo pottery to some of today's most exciting young innovators, this is a significant document of the rare and previously unpublished work of a group of important artists. The Kappmeyer collection demonstrates the ongoing evolution of Native American art forms; grounded in tradition, but responsive to the expressive needs of contemporary artists. ... Read more

Book Description
Poems, Stories, Essays, and visual arts images by contemporary Iroquois Authors. Edited by Bertha Rogers. Assistant Editors: Maurice Kenny, Tom Huff, and Robert Bensen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Grossly Disappointed
I find it quite amazing that the author included the words "Price Guide" when titling her book. What might be more applicable are the words "Mini-Bio's of Native American Artisans" since that's primarily what this book is. If I had wanted to learn birth/death dates or more about the formal educations of these individuals, I have a local library that I could have visited gratis. I WANTED a PRICE GUIDE reference book as the title implied it to be, and this book sorely missed the mark. It was a waste of both money and time.

Price Guide?
I just received this book.To my astonishment I found out that this book has more about the artists then PRICES!To give you some specifics in the Art Section there are 259 artisits listed with only 41 artists with prices.I would not call this a PRICE GUIDE.The rest of the book has even less prices listed... ... Read more