Thomas T. Allsen (1940-2019) was Professor Emeritus of The College of New Jersey and author of several books, including Commodity and Exchange in the Mongol Empire: A Cultural History of Islamic Textiles and Culture and Conquest in Mongol Eurasia. His The Royal Hunt in Eurasian History is also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press.

Note on Personal Names
Introduction
PART I. FROM THE SEA TO THE STEPPE
Chapter 1. Properties of Pearls
Chapter 2. Fishing and Processing
Chapter 3. Accumulation of Pearls
Chapter 4. Treasures and Treasuries
Chapter 5. Display and Redistribution
Chapter 6. A Consumer Culture
Chapter 7. Fecundity and Good Fortune
Chapter 8. Pearls After the Empire
PART II. COMPARISONS AND INFLUENCE
Chapter 9. Prices of Pearls
Chapter 10. Myths and Marketing
Chapter 11. Substitutes and Counterfeits
Chapter 12. By Land and by Sea
Chapter 13. Balance of Trade
Chapter 14. Sea Frontiers
Conclusion
List of Abbreviations and Primary Sources
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments