Book Review: Keverne's "Jade" is the Biggest and Best

JADE by Roger Keverne, Lorenz Books, first published 1991, updated 2011

If you like to do your reading stretched out in bed, pass on this one. It’s a coffee table book that, given legs, could serve as a coffee table. But it is well worth sitting up for, a storehouse of information on jade.

Keverne’s book, a compendium of essays by various experts, is often cited in later reference material. Books about jade may be many but this appears to be the book to own.

The Half Price Books outlet summed it up: "Jade" combines in a single work the most authoritative contemporary jade research and opinion from the world's leading experts, with over 600 photographs of jades from every continent.

Following a general introduction there appear a group of essays on Chinese jade from Post-Neolithic to modern, concluding with “Appraisal of Chinese Jades.” From there we go to the Pacific Rim, followed by the South Pacific, Europe, Burma, the Islamic and Moghul Jades, North America and Meso-America.

Keverne, “one of the world’s leading dealers and authorities,” provides an introduction as well as a chapter on “Some Advice for Buyers and Collectors.”

The book concludes with a “Jade Collections” directory, a glossary, and a thoroughly remarkable bibliography compiled by respected gem expert Capt. John Sinkakas.

“Jade” is peppered with magnificent photos, most of them showing examples exclusive to this book. Keverne notes that emphasis has been placed on “the accuracy of the colour reproduction.”

One critical review asserted that the book does not contain sufficient information of value to the gemologist. Which is a positive in a way, making it accessible to the general reader…

(The illustration is from Amazon. That’s where I found my copy at a reasonable price. Typically the book sells in the $50-$100 range but better deals can be found).