The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-28

The book is nicely produced with a glowing photograph of the charming poet as a frontispiece to the volume which is dedicated "To Man l Know "The Book of the Pearl" The History,
 Art. Science and Industry of the
 Queen of Gems. By George Fred
 ericlk Kunz. A. M., Ph. D., and
 Charles Hugh Stevenson, LL M D.
 c. L. (The Century company.
 The preparation of "The Book of the Pearl' has been a joint labor during the spare moments of the two authors whose time has been occupied with subjects to which pearls are not who'll ly foreign-one a gem expert and the other in the fisheries branch of the American government. pr. George Frederick Kunz is the gem expert for Tiffany Go. He is known as proba bly, the best authority on gems in the United States.
 For many years these two writers have collected data on the subject of pearls and have accumulated all the obtainable literature, not only the easi- ly procurabe books, but likewise man f uscripts, copies of rare volumes, orlgi- nal edicts and legislative enactments, thousands of newspaper clipping and interesting Illustrations, many of them unique, making probably the largest single collection of data in existence on this particular subject.
 While "The Book of the Pearl" is Q joint work in the sense that each writer has contributed material to all of the chapters and has critically ex amined and approved the entire work, the senior author. Dr. Kunz, has more closely applied himself to the latter , half of the text. covering antiquity, values, commerce. wearing manipula- tion, treatment, famous collections, , aboriginal use and the illustrations, while the junior author. MT. Stevenson, 1 has attended to the earlier half of the book with reference to history, origin, , sources, fisheries, culture mystical properties and the literature of the pearl.
 Perfected by nature and requiring no art to enhance their beauty pearls were naturally the earliest gems known to prehistoric man. Probably the mem bers of some fish eating tribe-maybe of the coast of India or bordering an Asiatic river-while opening mollusks for food, were attracted by tn cir luster. And mans estima tion of beauty de- veloped, he found in them the means of ] satisfying that fondness for personal 1 decoration so characteristic of half naked savages which has it's counter part amid the wealth and fashion of the present day. Many fantastic theories regarding pearls are to be found in ancient Chinese literature. 1 Some writers credited them as origi- mating in the brain of the fabled dragon; others noted that they were especially abundant during the reign , of illustrious emperors and they were used as amulets and charms against i fire and other disasters. Curious allu- 1 sions were made to pearls so brilliant i that they were visible at distance of nearly 1000 yards or that rice could be | cooked by the light from them. And one found about the beginning of the Christian near Yangchow-fu, in the province of Kiang-su, was reported so 1 lustrous to be visible in the dark at distance of three miles.
 "History makes no mention of pearls having been obtained elsewhere than in the Orient up to the time of Julius Cae- ser when small quantities of inexpen- 1 siye ones were collected in Britian by the invading Romans. \"
 This volume is the most complete re- port on the pearl from every standpoint ever undertaken and published. The au- l thors have discussed the pearl among the 1 ancents; in medieval and modern his- | tory; together with the origin, structure, 1 forms and sources of pearls.
 series of chapters are given on pearls | from Asia, the Persian Gulf Ceylon, In- da the Red Sea, Gulf of Alden, etc., East African pearl fisheries, European pearl fisheries, islands of the Pacific, Amer- can pearls, including in the latter Vene- zuela, Panama Mexico, American fresh l water pearls and the miscellanious pearl fisheries of this country.
 Most interesting chapters are devoted l to pearl culture and pearl farming and the mystical and medicinal properties of | pearls. The values and commerce of pearls. together with their treatment and care, are covered by two chapters. Two chapters devoted to pearls used in ornaments and decoration and the famous pearls and collections known to exist or to have existed.
 The final chapter is devoted to the abor- iginal use of pearls and their discovery in mounds and graves A bgliography of ! 24 pages is appended.
 Such beautiful illustrations as the Car ina of Russia in all her finery. March ioness of Landsdowne, Lady Londerry, Lady Winborne, Dowager Czarna of 1 Russia, Grand Duchess Vladimir. Mrs. George J. Gould, the great pearl neck lace of the French crown towels to- gether with maps of pearling regions in Ceylon and British India, Gulf of Califor- nia, and so on-make this volume with the authoritative and interesting text one of the most valuable books published in a long time. It is in itself a thing of beauty-a thing apart in the book line. Few books that have been published for i general distribution come anywhere near competing with "The Book of the Pearl" It Is worth the money-which is some considerable-for book.
 ''The Gorgeous Borgia'' by Justin Hunt
 ley Mccarthy (Harper & Bros)
 Mir Mccarthy has written a great many hooks and some plays As A general