Treasured Possessions

What happens when ritual practitioners from a small Pacific nation make an intellectual property claim to bungee jumping? When a German company successfully sues to defend its trademark of a Māori name? Or when UNESCO deems ephemeral sand drawings to be "intangible cultural heritage"? In Treasured Possessions, Haidy Geismar examines how global forms of cultural and intellectual property are being redefined by everyday people and policymakers in two markedly different Pacific nations. The New Hebrides, a small archipelago in Melanesia managed jointly by Britain and France until 1980, is now the independent nation-state of Vanuatu, with a population that is more than 95 percent indigenous. New Zealand, by contrast, is a settler state and former British colony that engages with its entangled Polynesian and British heritage through an ethos of "biculturalism" that is meant to involve an indigenous population of just 15 percent. Alternative notions of property, resources, and heritage—informed by distinct national histories—are emerging in both countries. These property claims are advanced in national and international settings, but they emanate from specific communities and cultural landscapes, and they are grounded in an awareness of ancestral power and inheritance. They reveal intellectual and cultural property to be not only legal constructs but also powerful ways of asserting indigenous identities and sovereignties.

Erin has just moved to a new city and is keeping a journal to help her get through a difficult time. First, she doesn't want to share her true treasured possession with her new classmates. Then, she is accused of stealing someone else's treasured possession. What will she do? Read this book to find out.

This book explores the significance of beautiful and engaging objects - chosen, acquired, personalised and treasured - to the people who once owned them. With over 300 works discussed, it takes us on a dazzling visual adventure through the decorative arts, from Renaissance luxuries wrought in glass, bronze and maiolica to the elaborate tablewares and personal adornments available to shoppers in the Age of Enlightenment. En route the authors consider the impact of global trade on European habits and expectations: the glamour of the Eastern exotic, the ubiquity of New World products like chocolate and sugar, and the obsession with Chinoiserie decoration. They ask what decorative objects meant to their owners before the age of industrial mass production, and explore how technological innovation and the proliferation of goods from the sixteenth century onwards transformed the attitude of Europeans to their personal possessions. Illustrated throughout with superb colour photographs, many unfamiliar and hitherto unseen gems of the Fitzwilliam Museum's Applied Arts collection are here published for the first time.

This is a book about memory and meaning; these texts bring to light the reflections and stories that women have constructed around the objects they have treasured, which in the past may have been deemed unimportant. These objects contain each woman's life experience and act as a foundation for her values and for the development of her character. The objects are often passed along to other women or handed down to family members, thereby connecting generations of women and creating a collective women's history. Culled from interviews with over one hundred different women, these are rich, compell.

An invaluable guide for everyone who owns fine and precious things and wants to know how to maintain their beauty and value. Whether it's art objects, furnishings, or textiles, this complete, practical book provides state-of-the-art and traditional techniques for effective preservation and restoration.

Noble Laureate S. Y. Agnon brings together what has always been at the heart of Jewish religious consciousness: the Sinai event, the Revelation--as both memory and continuously renewed experience.

The American love affair with the Bungalow continues. And in this most adored housing style, it is the kitchen that homeowners must most often restore, renovate, or remodel. But no one wants an authentic Bungalow kitchen, which was a rustic space that usually featured just a stove, a hoosier, and a sink. While there are books that describe the authentic Bungalow kitchen, there are few that show readers how to update a Bungalow to handle today's lifestyle needs and personal preferences. Happily, manufacturers today understand the demand, and there are many material and appliance options for homeowners--and the designers they hire--to bring contemporary convenience and beauty to an updated or new Bungalow kitchen. The New Bungalow Kitchen not only provides wonderful historical nuggets about Bungalow kitchens, it offers a plethora of ideas about how to create a tastefully restored or remodeled kitchen, or build new within the style.

"If you want to pretend you're shrinking, that's all right," said Treehorn's mother, "as long as you don't do it at the table." A small boy finds himself shrinking in this oddly offbeat, surreal, and funny story, illustrated with Edward Gorey's signature pen and ink drawings. No one around seems to appreciate what Treehorn's going through--his parents are busy, his friends laugh at him, and he gets sent to the Principal's office for shrinking. Or was it shirking? Clearly, the adults in his life have no clue and can't help. In the end, Treehorn figures it out on his own, and all is well. At least until he turns green. A charming, imaginative classic that will appeal to any kid who feels they're not truly seen or heard by the grown-ups in their life. Works for adults, too. An ALA Notable Children's Book A New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year