Jean, I have not read the book, nor have I seen the exhibition, and because of this I have not given either a positive or a negative opinion on either.
I have made comments, and those comments are based on what you and others have said
Certainly I have indicated that I will not spend the E38 + postage on a book that from all reports appears to be a very well presented book of very good photographs, but which appears not to address any matters that could be of interest to me personally.
Frankly I'm fed up with opening books full of pretty pictures which address the keris as an art work. These books have been appearing with great regularity for about the last 20 years.
I'm well aware that I'm out on a limb, all by myself, in this attitude, and I am sure that the vast bulk of collectors, as distinct from students of the keris, do not share my attitude. So surely, this catalogue of the exhibition will be welcomed by keris collectors who are unable to attend the exhibition in person.
My greatest disappointment is that according to the comments I have read here, and in personal correspondence, the involvement of Achim Weihrauch did not result in text that was other than superficial commentary. I suppose this is understandable in a catalogue of an exhibition that is directed at a wide audience, however, in such a publication the benchmark is Solyom, and in his catalogue he managed to produce the best single reference on the Javanese keris that has yet been published.
Something similar on the Balinese keris would have been very nice.
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