What's on your bookshelf?

[harrywagner]

I bought my first keris yesterday. I don't count the three souvenirs I bought for a song and dance, and let go for the same (I will post pics later).

I am interested in book recommendations from more experienced keris collectors that will help guide me. I have a decent library for Islamic and Oriental arms but nothing specifically about Indonesian weapons. I am primarily interested in practical material but don't mind a little 'knife porn'.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Harry

[A. G. Maisey]

This is a link to a page in my site, I believe you will find this to be a reasonably comprehensive list:-

http://kerisattosanaji.com/kerisinformation.html

David van Duuren's annotated bibliography is the best single source for reading recommendations.

If you only want one book, try to get a copy of "The World of the Javanese Keris" by Garrett and Bronwen Solyom.

[David]

I would certainly agree that Alan's list is fairly comprehensive. I own the large majority of references on it.
I would also emphasize that if you are at all serious about getting a handle on understanding the keris that you also check out some of the books on his "Cultural and Historical Background" list as understanding this weapon is absolutely impossible without grasping an idea of the culture from which the keris emerged and flourished. I highly recommend Visible and Invisible Realms by Margaret J.Wiener for an inside into Bali.

[Jean]

For a beginning collector I would highly recommend the Krisdisk from the late Kasten Sejr Jensen, it may not be easy to find but should be available at the Ethnographic Art Books Library in Leiden (The Netherlands) or from Dutch sellers like Devriesantiek on Marktplaats. This is the best picture book about the keris IMO and it includes a well documented keris history as well.
Regards

[harrywagner]

Many thanks for the replies. It is incredibly helpful to be able to get recommendations like this.

Here are a few photos of my first keris. I can't imagine why these did not seem appealing to me sooner! I like it, but know almost nothing about Indonesian weapons (yet). Any comments would be most welcome. No need to tip-toe around. I've a long history of buyer mistakes and am able to just laugh them off.

Cheers!
Harry

[David]

One thing to absolutely keep in mind Harry is that almost none of these books on keris can be 100% accurate all the time. I believe "The World of the Javanese Keris" by Garrett and Bronwen Solyom is perhaps one of the most accurate of all these books, though it does deal with only a small area of the keris world. You will also encounter a great deal of conflicting information from book to book, especially when dealing with names of pamor patterns and dhapurs and such. Names change from region to region, so this info is not necessary wrong, just different. Names also change over time periods sometimes.
You will also find that certain books merely repeat old myths and legends that don't necessarily hold water (though may have some cultural value).
In the words, all reading on things keris are best taken with a few grains of salt.

[David]

I would suggest that you start a new thread to talk about this first keris of yours since this thread was started as a query on books.

[harrywagner]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

This is a link to a page in my site, I believe you will find this to be a reasonably comprehensive list:-

http://kerisattosanaji.com/kerisinformation.html

David van Duuren's annotated bibliography is the best single source for reading recommendations.

If you only want one book, try to get a copy of "The World of the Javanese Keris" by Garrett and Bronwen Solyom.

Wow! Great resource. Many thanks.

[Gavin Nugent]

I uncovered a few more today...still many more buried here...am so looking forward to the shelving being completed.

Gavin

[Jean]

I was lucky to recently acquire the French version of this master work published in 1977 by Dr Urs Ramseyer about the Balinese culture, and I highly recommend it! It is very documented but also entertaining because of the numerous pictures.
Regards