I loved how this was both a history of an artefact, in so much as anyone knows about it, but a history of how the artefact has been seen, used and treated, again in so much as we know about it. It's the kind of anthropology I enjoyed in college, with the layers of meaning and perspective explored, and everything re-examined under as many lights as possible, and nothing let slide. Plus the pictures are gorgeous. I will admit to not reading all of the appendixes, however.