An Art Book 
That Took Centuries 
To Create 
It took the American Museum of 
Natural History four years to arrange its 
exceptional exhibition of more than 500 
pieces of ancient gold from Colombia. 
But those few years are a brief time 
when compared with the decades arche- 
ologists have spent digging (literally!) 
and studying the gold artifacts from 
tombs, caves, and buried sites. And all 
that time is short when compared with 
the many centuries prehistoric Indians 
practiced their craftsmanship and artis- 
try to create these treasures. 
So when it became the United States 
sponsor for this outstanding collection, 
the American Museum faced a dilemma. 
Could we do justice to all this effort and 
scholarship and beauty? We think we 
have. First, by dramatically displaying 
Gold of El Dorado: The Heritage of Co- 
lombia in one of our largest halls. The 
glowing reports from visitors tell us our 
efforts have been worthwhile. If you 
don’t have a chance to see the show for 
yourself in New York, we hope you will 
see it in Chicago, San Francisco, or New 
Orleans on its year and a half tour. 
The second challenge for the Ameri- 
can Museum was the creation of an 
appropriate book to accompany the ex- 
hibition. We decided against a tradi- 
tional catalog; against a small, boring 
volume with tiny black-and-white pic- 
tures that could never do justice to these 
fine objects. Instead, we decided to pre- 
sent a select number of the finest pieces 
of pre-Columbian gold in a large, stun- 
ning format. And to represent the three 
important elements that make a great 
art book we chose outstanding profes- 
sionals. 
First, photographer Lee Boltin. One 
of the greatest photographers of art ob- 
jects, he also took the famous pictures 
of the Tutankhamun show. We sent him 
abroad to find and record great pieces 
of pre-Columbian art. 
Second, archeologist Warwick Bray, 
from the University of London. One of 
the world’s foremost authorities on pre- 
Columbian art, Bray is also a skilled 
writer, able to present fascinating back- 
ground in a succinct, readable essay in 
the book. Dr. Bray organized the Colom- 
bian gold exhibition in London. 
Third, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Amer- 
ica’s leading publisher of fine art books. 
In a co-publishing venture with the 
American Museum, Abrams designed 
the book, supervised the preparation of 
30 large color plates, and monitored the 
fine-quality printing. 
The result is an unprecedented exhi- 
bition book. It is bold and big— each 
plate is 16 by IIV 2 inches— bigger than 
this magazine opened up. The paper is 
heavier than most posters. In fact, many 
persons have purchased two copies of 
the book in order to have one set of 
these fine art prints for framing. 
And now for the happy ending. Be- 
cause the Museum is a co-publisher, we 
are able to offer this soft-bound art book 
at a major savings from its normal retail 
price of $12.50. We are pleased to offer 
Gold of El Dorado to subscribers for only 
$6.25 — a 50% savings off its regular 
price. This special offer is valid only 
during the exhibition and only while our 
limited supply lasts. We suggest that 
you order one or more copies immedi- 
ately. Of course, if you are not satisfied 
after you have had an opportunity to 
examine it in your home, simply return 
the book and the Museum will refund 
the purchase price. 
Natural 
History 
Books 
1 
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