Heart of the Dragonfly by Allison Bird (1992, Paperback)

I feel compelled to write a review on this particular book. Being a collector and dealer of Native American silver work, I wanted this book so badly to learn what Allison Bird had to share. I found that somewhere along the line, one sold for a very high price on ebay and now used book dealers on the internet are charging outrageous prices for this book! I have seen prices from $200.00 to $2300.00! So, before actually purchasing the book, I found one at the library. It is a good book, but not $200.00 or more worth of good. Allison teaches us about the influence of the Spanish rosaries upon the pueblo Indians since the 1600's. She tells us about the significance of the dragonfly cross and the single bar cross. I found that to be very interesting. It is full of early photos of Pueblo Indians wearing different crosses, which I enjoyed seeing. We learn how to somewhat tell the difference between crosses of the different pueblos. However, she makes countless references to and quotes often John Adair's book "The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths" written in 1944. THAT book is one that the collector and dealer absolutely must read. I would have loved to see more detailed photos of early crosses that explained in detail the construction methods so that the collector and dealer can accurately date a found piece. Close up photos of front and back of the crosses would have been most valuable. It is a good book and I would like to own one someday, but it is not a piece that is a cornerstone of my reference library by any means. "Indian Silver Jewelry of the Southwest 1868-1930" by Larry Frank is an outstanding piece as is "Turquoise-The Gem of the Centuries" by Oscar Branson. Those are must haves for any collector of Native American silver & turquoise. So, I will be looking for a good deal on "Heart of the Dragonfly" so that I can add it to my library someday, but I certainly will not fall victim to the dealers that are charging very high prices for this book. It is a good book, but not worth the huge prices that used book dealers are charging.