# Beautiful Villages Ireland Ulster Leinster Connacht Munster Cork Galway Antrim

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Beautiful Villages Ireland Ulster Leinster Connacht Munster Cork Galway Antrim. ”The Most Beautiful Villages of Ireland” by Christopher Fitz-Simon (Author) and Hugh Palmer (Photographer). NOTE: We have 75,000 books in our library, almost 10,000 different titles. Odds are we have other copies of this same title in varying conditions, some less expensive, some better condition. We might also have different editions as well (some paperback, some hardcover, oftentimes international editions). If you don’t see what you want, please contact us and ask. We’re happy to send you a summary of the differing conditions and prices we may have for the same title. DESCRIPTION: Hardcover with dustjacket. Publisher: Thames & Hudson (2000). Pages: 208. Size: 12½ x 10¼ x 1 inch; 3¾ pounds. Summary: A visual trip through the Emerald Isle: an unparalleled portrayal of the rural beauty and charm of Ireland. Clusters of white cottages huddled between hills of an unbelievably rich green, villages of a single street, dazzling in their array of color washes and picturesque shop-fronts―such are the villages of Ireland, which to this day are living working communities. The most beautiful of these villages are captured here in Christopher Fitz-Simon’s sensitive commentaries and Hugh Palmer’s evocative photographs. This is a journey full of rural gems, some famous, others less so. Here are the colored coastal villages of Cork, their vibrant houses sloping down to a sea that so many Irish people crossed to found other communities in America. Here too are the stunning medieval churches of Roscommon and Galway; and the villages of Antrim, standing ruggedly in defiance of the northern seas. 285 full-color photographs CONDITION: NEW. New hardcover w/dustjacket. Thames & Hudson (2000) 208 pages. Unblemished except for faint shelfwear to dustjacket and covers. Inside the book is pristine; the pages are clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, unambiguously unread, though I would hasten to add that of course it is always possible that the book has been flipped through once or twice while in the bookstore. There's no evidence that it was, but it always a possibility. From the outside the dustjacket and covers evidence very mild shelfwear, principally in the form of edgewear to the spine head and heel. Large, heavy books like this are awkward to handle and so tend to get dragged across and bumped into book shelves as they are shelved and re-shelved, so it is not uncommon to see accelerated edge and corner shelfwear to both the dustjacket and covers of such huge, heavy books. Notwithstanding the possibility that the book may have been flipped through once or twice, the condition of the book is entirely consistent with a new book from an open-shelf bookstore environment such as Barnes & Noble or B. Dalton, wherein patrons are permitted to browse open stock, and so otherwise new books might evidence faint indications of browsing and/or shelfwear. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! #8138a. PLEASE SEE DESCRIPTIONS AND IMAGES BELOW FOR DETAILED REVIEWS AND FOR PAGES OF PICTURES FROM INSIDE OF BOOK. PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW. PUBLISHER REVIEWS: REVIEW: Clusters of white cottages huddled between hills of an unbelievably rich green, villages of a single street, dazzling in their array of color washes and picturesque shop-fronts 'such are the villages of Ireland, which to this day are living working communities. The most beautiful of these villages are captured here in Christopher Fitz-Simon "s sensitive commentaries and Hugh Palmer’s evocative photographs. This is a journey full of rural gems, some famous, others less so. Here are the colored coastal villages of Cork, their vibrant houses sloping down to a sea that so many Irish people crossed to found other communities in America. Here too are the stunning medieval churches of Roscommon and Galway; and the villages of Antrim, standing ruggedly in defiance of the northern seas. This work presents images and impressions of numerous villages in Ireland which as well as being beautiful are working, living communities. The book follows the divisions of ancient provinces - Ulster, Leinster, Connacht, and Muster - and uncovers various rural beauty spots - some well-known, others less so. Places featured include the coastal villages of Cork, Ardagh in County Longford - where Oliver Goldsmith was inspired to write She Stoops to Conquer, Roscommon and Galway, in Connacht and the villages of Donegal. This visual and verbal record to Irish villages also contains a guide to various sites of interest, markets, hotels, and restaurants. REVIEW: Clusters of white cottages huddled in a fold between hills of an unbelievably rich green…villages of a single street, dazzling in their array of color washes and picturesque shop and bar signs…Such are the villages of Ireland, the most beautiful of which are captured in Hugh Palmer's evocative photographs and Christopher Fitz-Simon's sensitive commentaries. Beautiful though many of the villages of Ireland undoubtedly are, they are also working, living communities. The vibrancy and warmth in a village bar or local shop proclaim a culture not yet submerged under mass tourism or the rash of vacation homes that have blighted so many of Europe's prettiest villages and robbed them of traditional ways. Following the divisions of the ancient provinces--Ulster, Leinster, Connacht, and Munster--the journey is full of fascinating rural gems, some famous and others less well known. There are the coastal villages of Cork with their handsome houses of many hues sloping down to a sea that so many Irish crossed to found other communities in the United States. Roscommon and Galway are proud of their medieval churches, while Ulster villages look toward the Atlantic and seem to be girding themselves against the rigors of the northern climate. Literary and historical associations abound, as in Ardagh, site of pre-Christian settlement and the place where Oliver Goldsmith was inspired to write She Stoops to Conquer. The latest volume in the best-selling Most Beautiful Villages series, this extraordinary visual and verbal record of the Irish village is completed by a guide to the most important sites, markets, hotels, and restaurants. 258 color photographs. REVIEW: The most beautiful of Ireland's villages are captured here in evocative photographs and sensitive, informative commentaries. The villages of Ireland are to this day living, working communities. The vitality and warmth in village pubs and local shops proclaim a way of life not yet submerged by mass-tourism. Clusters of white cottages huddled between hills of an unbelievably rich green … villages of a single street, dazzling color washes and picturesque shop-fronts and bar signs …. “The Most Beautiful Villages of Ireland” follows the divisions of the ancient provinces – Ulster, Leinster in the east, Connacht in the west and Munster in the south: is a journey full of rural gems. Here are the coastal villages of Cork, medieval churches of Roscommon and Galway, and the rugged villages of Antrim. REVIEW: The island of Ireland has an area of 21,803 square miles and a population of 5,275,000. Its climate is temperate; a `soft' day — of which there can be many — means one on which it is not persistently wet; yet Ireland's reputation for rainfall is somewhat unfair, for statistics show that there is an average of only sixty-five days in the year without significant sunshine; and a fine August day by a Fermanagh lake or beside the sea in Connemara is so enchanting it puts all dreams of the Mediterranean or California out of one's head. According to an American song, Ireland `nestles in the Ocean': that ocean is the North Atlantic, and its Gulf Stream ensures much warmer winters than other European countries in the same latitude; usually there is snow for only a few weeks in upland regions, and no snow at all around the coast. Politically speaking, the island is composed of Northern Ireland — which is part of the United Kingdom — and the Irish Republic. In common parlance these divisions are imprecisely referred to as, respectively, `The North' and `The South' — yet Donegal, the most northerly county of all, is part of the Republic. Such inconsistencies add to what is often described as the charm of Irish life. In terms of size and population, Ireland may be likened precisely to the State of Indiana: thereafter, however, all resemblance ends, for probably no land-mass in the world contains such a variety of topographical features concentrated in so confined a space. Each one of the thirty-two counties has its own physical identity. There areno lakes in County Offaly, but in adjoining Westmeath there are more than twenty. In County Kildare, no hill rises above a thousand feet, but neighbouring Wicklow is entirely mountainous. Even within counties there can be extreme contrasts: the eastern half of Galway is flat, green and fertile, while the western is rugged, multicolored and barren. In social and demographic terms the divergences are curious and, at face value, puzzling. The people of the town of Sligo speak with an entirely different accent and intonation from their neighbours in Enniskillen, only forty miles away; one might as well be in different countries — and some would argue that one is. In east and west Cork, locally perceived differences in speech, customs, traditions and outlook are so abstruse as to be wholly appreciated only by those fortunate enough to have spent a lifetime in that attractive county; the distinctions are as enigmatic as the subtly changing landscape, observed as one travels on the road from Youghal in the east of the county to Castletownbere in the west. The lively and interesting variations in the personality and character of the people have their origins in the migrations and settlements imposed by the politics of the past. During the numerous `troubled times' which have punctuated Irish history, the causes of conflict have been generally seen as stemming from British incursion, colonization and government. Certainly this is the kernel to what still seems to be the persistent enigma of Northern Ireland. Since the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1922, the Republic has slowly, and at last triumphantly, taken its place — as the insurgent Robert Emmet presciently remarked in 1803 — `among the nations of the world'. The international media, with its propensity for the kind of simplification which reduces any circumstance to its least meaningful, has tended to equate the Loyalism (to the British Crown) of Northern Ireland with Protestantism, and Republicanism with Roman Catholicism. It was in response to this kind of unlearned generalization that a testy George Bernard Shaw declared a hundred years ago that he was `a genuinely typical Irishman — of the Danish, Norman, Cromwellian and (of course) Scotch invasions'. He then remarked that though `arrogantly Protestant by family tradition', he was `an inveterate Republican and Home Ruler'. He continued: `It is true that one of my grandfathers was an Orangeman; but then his sister was an Abbess; and his uncle, I am proud to say, was hanged as a rebel!'. Such intricacies of allegiance and attitude continue to permeate Irish life in all parts of the country. In not including `Celts' among his list of forbears, Shaw may have been showing uncharacteristic academic caution, for opinions differ as to who exactly the Celts may have been. Early Irish art, for example, is often sweepingly referred to as `Celtic', but the extraordinary tombs and incised stone carvings of the Boyne Valley necropolis were created by a Neolithic people who were here prior to the Celtic migrations from central Europe. Our ideas of Celtic art stem largely from the nineteenth-century rediscovery of Ireland's past, and include such diverse manifestations as the stone sculptures of Newgrange and Knowth of about 3000 B.C., the gold Mooghaun Collar of about 700 B.C., the Tara Brooch of about A.D. 700 and the illuminated Book of Kells of about the same time. Dating is as hazardous as the terminology. The landscape of Ireland is richly endowed with artefacts indicative of several passing civilizations. Dolmens raised about two thousand years before Christ, court cairns, Ogham stones, and the great sculptural high crosses of the early Christian period are reminders of these ever-changing cultures. Over sixty round towers — of the kind which are almost as emblematic of Ireland as the harp and shamrock — also occur in Scotland, and were built to the same pattern from the 5th to the 12th centuries A.D. The numerous abbeys — now almost invariably ruinous due to Henry VIII's dissolution followed by Cromwell's destruction — bear witness to a close affinity with the European mainland. Contrast these with handsome Palladian and neoclassical country mansions and we see further European influences, appearing comparatively late, and mainly via England. The Gothic Revival in Ireland was almost entirely English-inspired. (For those wishing to see examples of five thousand years of building and decorative art all in one day, Meath is the county!) While the received picture of Ireland, north and south, remains that of a land and a people chiefly involved in agricultural pursuits, and while exports of dairy and garden produce, meat and beverages are indeed on the increase, the fact is that manufactured goods — including computers and pharmaceuticals — are now by far the most important staples of the economy. Tourism is a growing industry: by 1998 the number of people visiting Ireland exceeded the local population of five million — fortunately these visitors did not all arrive at the same time! During the summer months, however, major attractions such as the Trinity College Library in Dublin, the Boyne Valley necropolis or Muckross House and National Park in Killarney, can become uncomfortably crowded. The spring and autumn are therefore the pleasantest times for a leisurely tour, and rates in hotels and guest houses are substantially lower. The villages in this book have been chosen in order to give a sense of variety rather than to represent every county. The term `village', indeed, is not an Irish one. When Irish people speak of going to `the town', they may have nothing more in view than a cross-roads with, perhaps, a few houses, a church and a pub. The Irish baile signifies a `townland', which is something akin to the Scottish `bailiwick' or English `bailey' and may not necessarily contain any dwellings at all. In the Irish language, a sráidbaile, or `street-townland', is the nearest one approaches to `village', and a `town' is described as a baile-mór, or `great townland'. Thus, the people of many of the places featured in this book would be very surprised to learn that they live in a `village'. If one were to select villages purely on the basis of the charm and interest of streetscape and environs, one could produce several books of the same title. The aim here, however, has been to provide a sense of the variety of styles of Irish village — from scattered settlements, or clocháin, to the neat estate villages built by `improving landlords'. There are villages which take their character from their situation and the consequent occupations of the people — fishing or milling or the distribution of a specific product such as linen; there are riverine villages, canalside villages, villages which are market-towns in miniature, villages which exist because of some great ecclesiastical foundation. The traditional Irish village of thatched white-washed cottages probably has pride of place, though few remain — yet villages built of a local stone with slated roofs, or villages where painted stucco assails the eye with astonishing brilliance are equally traditional, townland by townland, county by county, province by province. REVIEW: Christopher Fitz-Simon's previous books include The Arts in Ireland, The Irish Theater, and The Irish Village. Hugh Palmer is one of Britain's foremost photographers of rural life, whose previous books include many titles in the Most Beautiful Villages series. REVIEW: Hugh Palmer, a leading British photographer of gardens and architecture, has contributed to numerous books including "Garden Ornament", "The Formal Garden", "The Water Garden" and volumes on "Provence", "Tuscany", "Dordogne", "Greece and the Greek Islands", "Burgundy" and "England" in "The Most Beautiful Villages" series. James Bentley is the author of "The Penguin Guide to Tuscany", "The Loire", "Life and Food in the Dordogne", "The Languedoc", "The Penguin Guide to the Dordogne", "To Live in France" and "Tuscany", "Dordogne", "Burgundy" and "England" in "The Most Beautiful Villages" series. REVIEW: Christopher Fitz-Simon is an Irish author whose books include “The Arts in Ireland”. PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS: REVIEW: Many a travel picture book is designed to make us dream, and like its equivalent in the cookery field, we can often gaze lovingly at things that we will have no experience of. Christopher Fitz-Simon's The Most Beautiful Villages of Ireland, however, produces an immediate effect that was probably the author's prime intention: within mere pages of this sumptuously illustrated book, the reader is filled with the keenest desire to visit these exquisitely picturesque locales in Ireland. As a picture of the architectural and bucolic delights of the country, Fitz-Simon's book is thoroughly beguiling. From astonishing spreads of ancient Ireland (such as the stone circles of Drombeg, County Cork, and the 100 ton standing stone at Browneshill) to the quirky eccentricities of such towns as Allihies and Eyeries (in which all the buildings are painted in bright, clashing primary colours), we are taken on a voyage that is almost as stimulating as the real thing. The photographs by Hugh Palmer perfectly complement Fitz-Simon's sympathetic text, and are not afraid to utilise the massive double-page spreads in a radical way, rather than simply record the various sites. Castle Island, with its striking tower, is seen from a distance, while a great expanse of turbulent blue water covers two pages in the foreground, and the Italianate exoticism of Glengariff is conveyed by a moody shot of the bay and its small boats, overlooked by a balustrade and a bare-breasted stone nymph. Along with such panoramic views, there is a host of more arcane details, all lovingly recorded: a two-faced Celtic stone figure on Boa Island in Lough Erne which has mystified scholars, or the trompe-l'oeil façade of a shop in Roundstone, County Galway, where everything in the window is the result of a painter's brush. The interiors, too, are full of charm: Lissadell House in Rosses Point transports us into another century. But beware: buying this book will almost certainly send you to your local travel agent. REVIEW: This work presents images and impressions of numerous villages in Ireland which as well as being beautiful are working, living communities. The book follows the divisions of ancient provinces - Ulster, Leinster, Connacht, and Muster - and uncovers various rural beauty spots - some well-known, others less so. Places featured include the coastal villages of Cork, Ardagh in County Longford - where Oliver Goldsmith was inspired to write "She Stoops to Conquer", Roscommon and Galway, in Connacht and the villages of Donegal. This visual and verbal record to Irish villages also contains a guide to various sites of interest, markets, hotels, and restaurants. REVIEW: Quaint, charming and predictably green…the pages echo with tranquility in this composite masterfully photographed by Hugh Palmer. [Veranda]. REVIEW: This work presents images and impressions of villages in Ireland which as well as being beautiful are working, living communities. The book follows the divisions of ancient provinces to uncover rural beauty spots, and also contains a guide to sites of interest, markets, hotels and restaurants. REVIEW: The latest volume in the bestselling "Most Beautiful Villages" series, this extraordinary visual and written record of the Irish village is completed by a guide to the most important sites, markets, hotels, and restaurants. Color photos. REVIEW: A visual trip through the Emerald Isle: an unparalleled portrayal of the rural beauty and charm of Ireland. READER REVIEWS: REVIEW: This is a fantastic coffee table book. The photographer has captured so much color in each photograph, you almost expect some sort of visual explosion -- how can such a dynamically variegated palette be contained in a single picture?! The whitewashed cottages, the blue-green sea, the dun colored old castle walls... even the street signs are beautiful. I myself am half of Irish descent, and half of Italian descent. Although I must confess that in culinary terms, my Italian forebears had considerably more "on the ball" than my Irish ancestors, this book makes me appreciate some of the beauties that Ireland itself has to offer. It makes me determined to visit it at some point. The book is divided into four parts. Each traditional ancient Irish kingdom has its own section -- Ulster, Leinster, Connacht, and Munster. Each section is also followed by a brief photographic essay, dealing with such topics as "Ancient Ireland," "Bar and Shop Fronts," and "Painted Villages." At the end, there is a useful map, a traveler’s guide complete with phone numbers and addresses of Inns and hostels, and a very handy little bibliography. I would just like to also recommend, for anyone with an interest in Irish history, "The Atlas of Irish History" by Sean Duffy. It is out of print, but you should ask your local librarian if he or she can find it, using OCLC or inter-library loan. If, like me, you have Irish blood in you, you will be familiar with the feeling of being quite alienated from the broader sweep of European history prior to the settlement of America. I once looked in the index of an encyclopedia, and actually found more entries on Native Americans, who of course are considered to be a marginalized people, than I could find on the Irish. This book, and the atlas I recommended, can help remedy that situation, and "The Most Beautiful Villages of Ireland" can beautify any home. Two thunbs up -- check this one out. REVIEW: Once you’ve seen this book, it may be very difficult to say “no” to a trip to Ireland. The cocktail table sized book is resplendent with photographs of the most beguiling places in Ireland. There is also lot’s of extremely helpful text to fill in the gaps, the history, the spirit of the photos. Most of the villages are well off the high road. And they are beautiful. Some are much older than others. Some are no more than two or three houses large. Some are snuggled on embayments whilst others joust bold headlands. Some straddle streams while others are spread like orange marmalade on a slope. Some feature moldering castles, others display ancient churches. There are locks on the Grand Canal, an ancient mine and smelter, fishing ports and peat bogs; sheep drives and grand vistas. Planning on going to Europe: here’s the inspiration for a stop-off in Ireland. Going to Ireland: here’s a list of must-see places for your itinerary. REVIEW: I recently purchased this book as a gift for someone who took two trips to Ireland several years ago and loved her trips there. She is no longer able to travel due to health reasons so I thought this book would bring back some wonderful memories for her. She loves the book and even though I have never been to Ireland, I would welcome the opportunity to go there after viewing the absolutely beautiful pictures in this book. Also included is information on traveling to Ireland; places to stay and see while there. I would definitely recommend this book. REVIEW: Oh Siobhan you are so, so lucky to live in such a gorgeous, historical place! This book is truly amazing and have a lot of information, let a lone gorgeous photos - Andrew and I hope to travel to Ireland one of these years! REVIEW: The Ireland version was set up a little differently than the others. It divided the country up into fourths, and then introduced a different topic at the end of each section: such as old Celts. Enjoyable. REVIEW: Prior to a long awaited vacation to Ireland, I purchased this book hoping to catch a glimpse of the beauty of Ireland. The book was all and more of what I had hoped. The pictures and written articles only whet my appetite to be in Ireland. The photography is outstanding, the articles informative. I'm purchasing three more of these books to give as gifts to friends. REVIEW: This book was exactly what I was looking for. I went to Ireland for the first time in Sept. 2013 and fell in love with the country. This book brings back fond memories of places I visited and is motivating me to go back next year and visit the places I wasn't able to get to. Can't wait to share the book with friends who accompanied me to Ireland in September and others who are planning to join me when I go back in 2014. REVIEW: While I only had the opportunity to preview briefly this delightful and revealing look at the heart and soul of Ireland, it is being enjoyed by the receiver of this wonderful gift! I recommend it without reservation. REVIEW: Beautiful photo summary of Ireland containing iconic architecture and engaging vistas. The book has some written commentary but is largely a collection of pictures of classic Ireland. Quality paper with lovely color printing. Great coffee table book that makes for a wonderful gift or a place in your own library. REVIEW: We ordered this book as a gift for our friend who has visited Ireland and fell in love with the country. Our friend loved looking at all the beautiful pictures which allowed her to remember some of the sites she visited. It was a great birthday gift to our friend. REVIEW: I absolutely loved this book. It made me want to travel to Ireland and experience her culture. I would like to visit little towns and pubs and truly experience the magic of this land and people. The book allowed me to experience such a trip vicariously and start planning a real trip to Ireland as soon as possible! REVIEW: I gave this book, The Most Beautiful Villages of Ireland, to my sister who is traveling to Ireland in May. She loved it. The photography is beautiful and it is well written. I would definitely buy this book again. It made a wonderful gift. REVIEW: I bought this book as a gift for my husband, as we had just returned from a wonderful trip to Ireland. This is a great keepsake for our trip. The book was very pretty and arrived in plenty of time for Fathers' Day! REVIEW: I bought this for my sister. She had taken a trip to Ireland and loved the book. Reading the book makes me want to visit Ireland as well! REVIEW: Beautiful images of Ireland and it's villages with lots of history and other info about the areas where the villages are. REVIEW: Perfect! Just what I had in mind and the person I gave it to liked it a lot! Great pictures! REVIEW: Lovely photos, made me want to go back and visit again, this time with a rental car! REVIEW: One of my favorites in this fabulous series. All of the “Most Beautiful” books are lovely. Highly recommend them! REVIEW: I bought this book as a gift and my friend loved it. The pictures are all of high quality and will be a good reminder of her trip to Ireland. REVIEW: My Mother loves the many book finds on Amazon I gift to her. Born in Ireland, she loves the photos to take her back in time. She loved this beautiful book. REVIEW: My mom loves Ireland and was very pleased with the book for her birthday. Lovely, large clear pictures of beautiful scenery. REVIEW: I bought this book for my parents as a keeps take after their trip to Ireland. They loved it saying it was a beautiful compilation of places in Ireland. REVIEW: Five stars! Many pages of lovely pictures with information on each area. REVIEW: My mother-in-law loved this gift as it enabled her to stroll down memory lane of the time she visited Ireland years ago. A good read with beautiful photos to accompany! REVIEW: Good book on architecture and the rural village landscape of Ireland I always ship books Media Mail in a padded mailer. This book is shipped FOR FREE via USPS INSURED media mail (“book rate”). All domestic shipments and most international shipments will include free USPS Delivery Confirmation (you might be able to update the status of your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site) and free insurance coverage. A small percentage of international shipments may require an additional fee for tracking and/or delivery confirmation. If you are concerned about a little wear and tear to the book in transit, I would suggest a boxed shipment - it is an extra $1.00. Whether via padded mailer or box, we will give discounts for multiple purchases. International orders are welcome, but shipping costs are substantially higher. Most international orders cost an additional $12.99 to $33.99 for an insuredshipment in a heavily padded mailer, and typically includes some form of rudimentary tracking and/or delivery confirmation (though for some countries, this is only available at additional cost). However this book is quite heavy, and it is too large to fit into a flat rate mailer. Therefore the shipping costs are somewhat higher than what is otherwise ordinary. There is a discount program which can cut postage costs by 50% to 75% if you’re buying about half-a-dozen books or more (5 kilos+). Rates and available services vary a bit from country to country. You can email or message me for a shipping cost quote, but I assure you they are as reasonable as USPS rates allow, and if it turns out the rate is too high for your pocketbook, we will cancel the sale at your request. ADDITIONAL PURCHASES do receive a VERY LARGE discount, typically about $5 per book (for each additional book after the first) so as to reward you for the economies of combined shipping/insurance costs. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. All of our shipments are sent via insured mail so as to comply with PayPal requirements. We do NOT recommend uninsured shipments, and expressly disclaim any responsibility for the loss of an uninsured shipment. Unfortunately the contents of parcels are easily “lost” or misdelivered by postal employees – even in the USA. That’s why all of our domestic shipments (and most international) shipments include a USPS delivery confirmation tag; or are trackable or traceable, and all shipments (international and domestic) are insured. We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. We will accept whatever payment method you are most comfortable with. If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price (less our original shipping costs). Most of the items I offer come from the collection of a family friend who was active in the field of Archaeology for over forty years. However many of the items also come from purchases I make in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) from various institutions and dealers. Though I have always had an interest in archaeology, my own academic background was in sociology and cultural anthropology. After my retirement however, I found myself drawn to archaeology as well. Aside from my own personal collection, I have made extensive and frequent additions of my own via purchases on Ebay (of course), as well as many purchases from both dealers and institutions throughout the world - but especially in the Near East and in Eastern Europe. I spend over half of my year out of the United States, and have spent much of my life either in India or Eastern Europe. In fact much of what we generate on Yahoo, Amazon and Ebay goes to support The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, as well as some other worthy institutions in Europe connected with Anthropology and Archaeology. I acquire some small but interesting collections overseas from time-to-time, and have as well some duplicate items within my own collection which I occasionally decide to part with. Though I have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, my primary interest is in ancient jewelry. My wife also is an active participant in the "business" of antique and ancient jewelry, and is from Russia. I would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from me. There is a $2 fee for mailing under separate cover. Whenever I am overseas I have made arrangements for purchases to be shipped out via domestic mail. If I am in the field, you may have to wait for a week or two for a COA to arrive via international air mail. But you can be sure your purchase will arrive properly packaged and promptly - even if I am absent. And when I am in a remote field location with merely a notebook computer, at times I am not able to access my email for a day or two, so be patient, I will always respond to every email. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE." TRANSLATE Arabic Chinese French German Greek Indonesian Italian Hindi Japanese Korean Swedish Portuguese Russian Spanish