Jade: Stone of Heaven
By Richard Gump
Copyright 1962 Doubleday & Company, Garden City, NY
6-1/2 by 9-1/2 inch hardcover edition
This out-of-print book is readily available as a used book but is unlikely to remain so as collectors deplete available sources. I would love to see a re-issue or new edition of this classic. In my opinion, this is the best starting place for new jade collectors and is worthy of the most advanced collector. No other book I have read treats jade with more reverence. The book cannot be read without touching the sincere student of jade studies deeply. Though the true value of this book is in its text, it does have a number of black and white, as well as a few color, photographs.
Jade, Its History and Symbolism in China
By Berthold Laufer
Copyright 1969 Dover Publications, Mineola, NY
5-1/2 by 8-1/2 softcover edition
This classic was first published in 1912 under the title Jade, A Study in Chinese Archeology & Religion. There is also a Dover edition with the original title that was first printed in 1974. It has undergone several printings and publications. The emphasis of this book is stated in the title and, as such, it is invaluable to the student of ritual jade artifacts. The great value of this book is what the author was able to derive at the time in which it was written, and the magnificent illustrations. There are some photographs as well, but the value of the drawings far surpasses them. It is probably the most researched book on jade studies ever published. This book raises several interesting questions that in my opinion are still unanswered today. Certain ritual jades are described in this work, right or wrong, as they have not been described since. This book is out of print but is readily available as a used book.
Jade, 5000 BC to 1912 AD
By Mircea Veleanu
Copyright 2004 Schiffer Publications, Atglen, PA
9 by 11 inch hardcover edition / ISBN: 0-7643-1944-2
This is a Schiffer Book for Collectors with Price Guide. I am not aware of another book on jade with a price guide. This book has received both condemnation and praise from readers. The information on many of the jade pieces described, if accurate, runs contrary to the accepted "norm." As an example, the author describes several pieces as Shang Dynasty carvings that are well accepted as Tao T'eh face representations. These motifs are described by nearly all other sources as being from the neolithic Liang Zhu culture. However, the serious student of ancient Chinese history would allow that the Liang Zhu culture not only led into the Shang Dynasty, but was actually absorbed by that culture. There are other points of contention in this text that raise the hackles of some pedantic types, but my opinion is clear, take what you want and leave the rest. Overall I defend this work. The book is generally well organized, the pictures are fantastic, and the text is very comfortable. The price guide may or may not be accurate, but at least the attempt has been made. If you can allow for another's opinion, whether or not it rings true for you, buy the book. If you defend your "high ground" position, leave the book behind.
Radiant Stones, Archaic Chinese Jades
By Filippo Salviati, copyright 2000
Ten Speed Press, Myrna Myers, 11 rue de Beaune, 75007 Paris
8 by 11-1/2 inch softcover edition / ISBN: 1-58008-588-1
This book is a catalogue of the collection of Myrna Myers. The jades described in this book cover the period from neolithic cultures through the Han Dynasty. About 150 jades are described and illustrated in full color plates. The examples of jades in this collection might be described as “working man’s pieces”. There are no large exotic vases or other artistic carvings. The carvings described here are everyday utilitarian implements, such as jade axes, and ritual jades such as the bi, cong, huang and so forth. For a study of these jades I find the book most useful. The descriptions are excellent and the full page studio photos are worthy of framing.
Jade
Consultant Editor Roger Keverne
copyright 1995, Lorenz Books, an imprint of Anness Publishing Limited, 1 Boundary Row, London SE1 8HP
9-1/2 by 13 inch hardcover edition / ISBN: 1-85967-191-8
This classic has been referred to as “The Jade Book” and this is probably true to the extent that it approaches jade as a world wide phenomena. From China to New Zealand, Europe to the Americas, Keverne takes you on a jade tour de force of jade discovery around the world. In this regard the Cultural Chronology Chart is particularly interesting. The focus of this book is jade, not China. Yet the Chinese Chronology is truly an outstanding work that gives not only the dates of the various periods, but a brief social history of each Dynasty and its impact on the arts as it relates to jade carvings. The mineralogical descriptions are clear and concise and the charts for the common trade names for jade and jade stimulants are also very useful.
Jades from China
By Angus Forsyth & Brian McElney
copyright 1994, The Museum of East Asian Art, 12 Bennett Street, Bath Ba1 2QL, England
9 by 12 inch hardcover edition / ISBN: 1-897734-03-4
This book has been opened more than any other in my library with the exception of Richard Gump’s book, Jade: Stone of Heaven. Admittedly, this is largely due to the wonderful chronological table at the very beginning of the book, and the glossary of archaic jades which follows it. The 22 drawings that accompany the glossary and the chronological table were extremely useful in my early jade studies. This book is actually a catalog of a major exhibition in 1994 at The Museum of East Asian Art in Bath, England entitled “Jades from China”. It lists 350 exhibition jades with color pictures and descriptions in Chinese and in English. It is a fascinating and useful resource that belongs in the library of any serious student of jade studies.
Chinese Jade, From the Neolithic to the Qing
By Jessica Rawson
copyright 1995, The Trusties of The British Museum
first published in United States in 2002 by Art Media Resources Ltd.
1507 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605
8-1/2 by 11 inch softcover edition / ISBN: 1-58886-033-7
This may be the most quoted and copied book available on the archaic jade carvings of China. Published as a catalog of over 300 pieces from the collection of Sir Joseph Hotung, it is a compelling work that will stand as a definitive reference for years to come. The title is a bit misleading however, because very little information is given here about the Qing Dynasty or any of the latter periods. But for the student of archaic jades this work might be considered the “Bible”. This book is set up as a study of jade types, shapes and functions within a chronological overview. It is a brilliant work which covers ritual, ceremonial, and functional jades with essays that are rich and insightful. More than a book about archaic Chinese jade, it is a book about Chinese history and archeology.