The
Desmond Sacco Collection
BACKGROUND
The definitive photographic record of Southern Africa’s premier mineral-producing localities.
During the past 40 years, Desmond Sacco has carefully assembles one of the finest collections of Southern African mineral specimens. This collection is acknowledged by experts to be one of the best in the world. Exceptional quality mineral specimens and aesthetic rarities are signature qualities. ‘One-of-a-kind’ specimens abound and there is such depth and variety that many individual species are represented by dozens of different examples.
Tsumeb forms the core of the collection, and for this reason 364 of the 616 mineral photographs are of Tsumeb specimens. For the first time, this book illustrates all of the different varieties of many Tsumeb classics. For example, the many forms and colours of smithsonite, willemite, cerussite, calcite and others. There are 43 photographs of azurite, from almost all of the major azurite finds, 30 mimetites, 28 cerussites and many, many more.
This book is a benchmark publication for comparative purposes for other collections that contain southern African mineral specimens. It is a valuable Africana publication because it documents the finest minerals that Southern Africa has brought forth over the past several decades.
SYNOPSIS OF THE BOOK
PART I
Introductory chapters describe the collection, the philosophy and reason behind the book and a short biography. This text is supplemented by select photographs of Desmond Sacco, his family and his collection.
PART II
The
Collection.
Over six hundred colour photographs of the finest mineral specimens, including examples from:
Namibia
Tsumeb (364 specimens), Berg Aukas (26), Onganja (10), the Brandberg (18) and thirteen other localities.
Republic of South Africa
The Kalahari Manganese field (110), Messina (4), Okiep copper mines (7) and five other localities.
Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique.
BOOK SPECIFICATIONS
Weight: 2.5kg
Size: 305 x 245 mm
Paper: Magnosilk 135 gsm
Hard cover with French-fold dust jacket
408 pages
Full colour throughout
666 colour photographs
5 colour ink process
30 featured localities
Photography by Bruce Cairncross
Written, designed and printed in South Africa to the most exacting quality control standards
Only 1,000 copies printed!