Books on Faberge - What are you looking for?

[Sarai_Porretta]

Looks like a new book:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122325809048506707.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[Robert_Hall]

I bought it in Londoan last winter or spring.  It is pretty good. More a history of the family and business rather than just another picture book of the eggs and such.

[Alejandro Spain]

What are the best and the awful books about Faberge? I would like to purchase some book about Faberge, but there are a lot of books about Faberge and I don't know what are the best

Regards and thanks!

[Ena]

This is something that's sort of vexing me too.  There are so many books out there.  Are you looking for more of a coffee table book, a history of Faberge, or both? Any kind of information would be helpful for others to assist you.  :-)

[Robert_Hall]

I have about 20 books on Faberge.  Anything by von Habsburg, Snowman  or Bainbridge  are  good- they are the best experts.  I know of no "worst" books. As Ena  asked, depends on what you want- a  coffee table picture book or a definitive bio and catalogue of the works.

[Margot]

Robert is so right! With reference to cigarette cases, John Traina's book is just wonderful! I have a good drool over that one quite often and the author's collection which is lavishly illustrated is (or perhaps now is should be 'was') second to none in my humble and envious opinion!

[Alejandro Spain]

Hello! Thanks for your replies!

I'm looking for a illustrated book with good information about the history of Faberge, a coffee book  I had thought in "Fabergé: Lost and Found" and "Fabergé: Imperial Jeweller". What do you think? I don't want only a book about Fabergé eggs, I would like a book with more than Fabergé eggs

Regards and thanks!

[rgt9w]

I agree with the above posts, there are many good books about Faberge. For a diverse collection of objects by Faberge you may try, "Faberge in the Royal Collection" by Caroline de Guitaut or "Faberge In America" / "Faberge: Imperial Craftsman and His World" both by Geza von Habsburg.

[aleksandr pavlovich]

Just one caveat:  While Kenneth Snowman is an invaluable expert in Faberge, his first edition of his seminal work, "The Art of Carl Faberge," (a beautiful and VERY collectible book of the early 1950's with a preface by Eugene Faberge) does contain errors in the catalogue of eggs, resulting in wrong year/s, wrong recipient/s, etc.  Of course, he was going by the best information available AT THAT TIME.  Please see reference to this in pp. 199 - 200, of Toby Faber's, "Faberge's Eggs," 2008, Random House Publishers, ISBN 978-1-4000-6550-9.    AP

[Robert_Hall]

Alejandro S.  From what you say, I would recommend Faberge, Court Jeweler to the Tsars by von Habsburg & Solodkoff [Rizzoli, 1984] It has both qualities you are looking for. Unfortunately, it can be costly. But that is a subjective matter.

[Miek]

There are many, many books indeed. Here is a list: http://fly.hiwaay.net/~christel/bibliography.htm
I would recommend von Habsburg, Géza and Marina Lopato. Fabergé: Imperial Jeweler, 1993.

Miek

[Robert_Hall]

"Lost & Found" is a good book, but I do not think, from what you are looking for, it is quite right. It is mainly a  book of archival  drawings, not the actuual items he manufactured. There are plenty of books on the eggs,   some of which, though impressive pictures, have wrong information.
 I would second Miek, von Habsburg is  a good  start.

[Joyann1]

what is the best book about the eggs that Nicholas and Alexander gave to their wives?

[Miek]

Best books on Fabergé Eggs are:
Fabergé, Tatiana, Proler, Lynette G. and Valentin V. Skurlov. The Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs, 1997 and
Lowes, Will, and Christel Ludewig McCanless. Fabergé Eggs: A Retrospective Encyclopedia, 2001.

If you want to know all the ins and outs, go for the Lowes and McCanless Encyclopedia.

[Robert_Hall]

I will second Mieks  suggestions, especialy the Tatianna Faberge published by Christies [1997]. Most books on the eggs are just  picture books, but that has a comprehensive accounting of them as well. Also some are on  ALL the eggs produced  by  Farberge, many of were not  Imperial, but for other wealthy clients.