Preview our SPRING 2026 catalog, featuring more than 500 new books on art, photography, design, architecture, film, music and visual culture.
STEINBERG
Wild Beads of Africa
Old Powderglass Beads from the Collection of Billy Steinberg
Edited by Billy Steinberg. Text by Jamey D. Allen.
These rare and mysterious beads, made in Ghana and used by the Krobo and Ashanti peoples, are regarded as magical and are worn proudly as a symbol of prestige and wealth.
This is the first book dedicated to African powderglass beads, with over 180 photographs of gorgeous pieces from a collection assembled by songwriter Billy Steinberg (co-writer of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”).
Most of the pieces showcased in this handsomely designed volume are West African beads often referred to as Bodom or Akoso, and were made by Ashanti and Ewe people in Ghana and Togo during the 19th century using finely ground glass sourced from broken bottles, windows or other beads, creating brightly colorful pieces in shiny colors with a handmade textural quality.
Highly detailed photography by Fredrik Nilsen provides a comprehensive look at the collection, along with texts by scholar Jamey D. Allen about the history, classification and glassmaking technologies employed in the varieties of beads covered in the book. A glossary provided by Allen also makes this a useful reference title.
Featured image is reproduced from 'Wild Beads of Africa.'
Featured image is reproduced from Wild Beads of Africa, a book unlike any other on our list, and a staff favorite at the SHOPPE OBJECT 3.0 Home & Gift Show closing today in New York. Presenting the astonishing old powderglass bead collection of songwriter Billy Steinberg, it is the first book dedicated to the nineteenth-century beads made by the Ashanti and Ewe people of Ghana and Togo from finely-ground, recycled glass. In West Africa, they are regarded as magical, according to essayists John and Ruth Picard, and “worn proudly as a symbol of prestige and wealth. Their protective powers are well known, somewhat equivalent to the dZi beads of Tibet.” continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 9.75 x 11.25 in. / 216 pgs / 180 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $55.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $75 GBP £50.00 ISBN: 9780692907108 PUBLISHER: Steinberg AVAILABLE: 5/21/2019 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Out of stock indefinitely AVAILABILITY: Not available TERRITORY: WORLD
Wild Beads of Africa Old Powderglass Beads from the Collection of Billy Steinberg
Published by Steinberg. Edited by Billy Steinberg. Text by Jamey D. Allen.
These rare and mysterious beads, made in Ghana and used by the Krobo and Ashanti peoples, are regarded as magical and are worn proudly as a symbol of prestige and wealth.
This is the first book dedicated to African powderglass beads, with over 180 photographs of gorgeous pieces from a collection assembled by songwriter Billy Steinberg (co-writer of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”).
Most of the pieces showcased in this handsomely designed volume are West African beads often referred to as Bodom or Akoso, and were made by Ashanti and Ewe people in Ghana and Togo during the 19th century using finely ground glass sourced from broken bottles, windows or other beads, creating brightly colorful pieces in shiny colors with a handmade textural quality.
Highly detailed photography by Fredrik Nilsen provides a comprehensive look at the collection, along with texts by scholar Jamey D. Allen about the history, classification and glassmaking technologies employed in the varieties of beads covered in the book. A glossary provided by Allen also makes this a useful reference title.
