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    Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box
    Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box
    Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box
    Ebook327 pages1 hour

    Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box

    By Madeleine Albright

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    “Jewelry isn’t ordinarily a tool of political persuasion, but in this beautiful book, Madeleine Albright, American ambassador to the United Nations and then the nation’s first female secretary of state, tells the compelling story of how these small objects became part of her ‘personal diplomatic arsenal.’” — The Chicago Tribune

    From New York Times bestselling author and former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, Read My Pins is a story and celebration of how one woman’s jewelry collection was used to make diplomatic history.

    Part illustrated memoir, part social history, Read My Pins provides an intimate look at Albright's life through the brooches she wore. Her collection is both international and democratic—dime-store pins share pride of place with designer creations and family heirlooms. Included are the antique eagle purchased to celebrate Albright's appointment as secretary of state, the zebra pin she wore when meeting Nelson Mandela, and the Valentine's Day heart forged by Albright's five-year-old daughter. Read My Pins features more than 200 photographs, along with compelling and often humorous stories about jewelry, global politics, and the life of one of America's most accomplished and fascinating diplomats.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateSep 29, 2009
    ISBN9780061938498
    Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box
    Author

    Madeleine Albright

    Madeleine Albright served as America’s sixty-fourth secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. Her distinguished career also included positions at the White House, on Capitol Hill, and as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She was a resident of Washington D.C., and Virginia.

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    Reviews for Read My Pins

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    • 5/5
      Part illustrated memoir, part social history, "Read My Pins" provides an intimate look at Albright's life through the brooches she wore.A fun, informative and engaging book with beautiful full color photos of Madeleine Albright's vast pin collection.I loved her stories and anecdotes I really enjoyed the look into the life and mind set of a diplomat and I loved that something as simple as a pin can take on so much meaning and weight due to the thought that went on behind it's choice. The insights into why she chose to focus on pins as her chosen accessory and why she chose the pins she did for each situation was fascinating had just enough detail and depth to be engaging but not so much that they slowed the flow of the book down or detracted from the photos and I cannot say enough about the photos. I was so happy that each pin that got mentioned also got shown in full color and large enough that you can see the details, that does not happen often enough in books such as this.
    • 3/5
      Like Madeleine Albright, I love wearing pins. I'm not always very good at the schmoozing and small talk that I often need to do for my job, so in business settings I'll sometimes wear a pin as a conversation starter. I'm guessing Madeleine Albright doesn't have that problem. What she might have difficulty with is deciding which pin to wear, because according to this book, her choices are limitless as she has hundreds to choose from.

      My Betty is a bit of a girly-girl, to say the least, and I borrowed this book from the library in an attempt to use the pictures of the jewelry as a way to introduce her to one of the world's most accomplished women. I wound up being more enthralled with the book than she was.

      Read My Pins is a coffee-table type of book that is both filled with glorious photos of beautiful pins but also stories about the pins' history and their place front and center of world events. As Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright often chose which pin to wear each day with great care and deliberation, often with subtle significance to a negotiation or a meeting with a world leader or some situation happening on a global scale. Her choices were thoughtful as well as sometimes whimsical. (After reading this, I've noticed I've become more deliberate about my choices of pins now.)

      In this book, Albright gives her reader a peek inside her jewelry box with photos of more than 200 of her pins that she has collected over the years, from purchases in small boutiques and villages to extravagant gifts.
    • 4/5
      This book, whose theme is so unique and unexpected, is an example of why the physical, printed book of pages and binding should never be allowed to become extinct. To read this kind of niche book on a Kindle or other such electronic device would be a shallow experience.
    • 3/5
      Entertaining stroll through history led by a jewelry box.
    • 4/5
      A history of Madeleine Albright's diplomacy and life told in beautiful pictures of her pins. Wonderful for anyone with an interest in jewelry. Even the political aspects were interesting (I don't particularly care for politics). Stories of the personal encounters because of the pins were touching. I would love to see the museum exhibit the book is based on as well.

    Book preview

    Read My Pins - Madeleine Albright

    Read My Pins

    Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box

    Madeleine Albright

    with

    Elaine Shocas, Vivienne Becker, and Bill Woodward

    Photography by John Bigelow Taylor

    Photography Composition by Dianne Dubler

    The United States Capitol, Monet.

    See a pin, pick it up,

    And all day you’ll have good luck.

    See a pin, let it lay,

    And your luck will pass away.

    —Nursery Rhyme

    Table of Contents

    Epigraph

    Introduction by David Revere McFadden

    Chief Curator, Museum of Arts and Design, New York

    I. The Serpent’s Tale

    II. Wings

    III. Body Language

    IV. It Would Be an Honor

    Pindex

    Acknowledgments

    About the Authors

    Books by Madeleine Albright

    Credits

    Copyright

    About the Publisher

    Victory Knot, Verdura.

    The Great Seal of the United States book locket and pin, Ann Hand.

    Asymmetrical gold heart, Erwin Pearl

    red heart and bow, Ann Hand

    bejeweled heart, designer unknown

    sparkling red heart, Ann Hand

    interlocking hearts, Swarovski

    purple heart, D.M. Lee

    hammered metal heart, Omega

    rhinestone bombé heart, designer unknown.

    With deep appreciation to St. John Knits for its support of the book and to Bren Simon for her support of the exhibition.

    This book is published in conjunction with the exhibition Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection organized by the Museum of Arts and Design, New York. After being shown at the Museum, the exhibition will tour to selected venues in the United States and around the world.

    Gold ginkgo leaf, designer unknown

    silver ginkgo leaf, designer unknown

    copper ginkgo leaf, Beauvoir, the National Cathedral Elementary School

    gold-stemmed ginkgo leaf, Fabrice.

    INTRODUCTION

    In Six Memos for the Next Millennium, the great Italian short story–writer Italo Calvino recounts the legend of how the emperor Charlemagne was enchanted by a gold ring. Whoever or whatever possessed the ring held the power of bewitchment, from a deceased maiden to an archbishop and, ultimately, the lake into which the ring was cast. This small piece of jewelry took on magical powers, becoming an outward and visible sign that reveals the connection between people or between events. In addition to conveying information about the wearer—her or his status, finances, and affinities—jewelry has an impressive power to establish links among people, places, and events. Madeleine Albright’s pins are nothing if not eloquent and often provocative communicators.

    Secretary Albright’s pins cannot be described as a collection in any traditional sense. Collectors usually set out with specific goals in mind as to what they intend to acquire and how they will secure the objects of desire, whether they be paintings, stamps, butterflies, or grandfather clocks. By contrast, Secretary Albright’s collection has grown organically over the years in response to the changing circumstances and opportunities of her life and career. This is a collection that has been amplified and enriched by the events that have engaged their owner, providing a visible record of past experiences and future hopes.

    There is a delightful randomness and whimsy to the pins that make up this highly personal assemblage. Sought out in settings ranging from jewelry stores and art galleries to airport souvenir stands and the booths of craft fair vendors, they first spoke to Secretary Albright, asking (sometimes demanding) to be included in her trove of wearable images. Their value as communication devices once recognized, they were then inducted into service as diplomatic aides; sometimes demure and understated, sometimes outlandish and outspoken, they became gentle implements of statecraft.

    Alert Lady, Brit Svenni/Berit Kowalski. According to the designers, One eye is extra watchful as Madeleine Albright is always alert to the world’s problems.

    The pins reveal a rich diversity of motifs and images. Angels, stars, balloons, American flags, and spaceships are juxtaposed with a menagerie of birds, bees, beetles, butterflies, fish, frogs, turtles, and snakes. A variety of garden flowers, sentimental hearts and bows, and mementos of specific events and holidays round out the collection.

    Jewelry buffs typically focus their attention on the preciousness of the materials from which an item is made—gold, silver, rubies, or diamonds—or on the virtuosity of the craftsmanship revealed in its design. Secretary Albright’s pins, however, are for the most part unremarkable in their monetary value and, except for some pieces of antique or fine jewelry, likely to be by anonymous designers, and fabricated from materials ranging from base metals to plastics and glass. Rhinestones and crystal take the lead roles over diamonds, electroplating over solid gold.

    Of modest intent and manufacture, Secretary Albright’s pins are of a kind that anyone could possess and wear. These are truly pins of the people, and part of Secretary Albright’s pleasure in wearing the pins must come from her recognition of their democratic nature. To assemble so notable a collection of pins takes something much more elusive and significant than money—it takes a magical combination of a collector’s eye, which can spot and home in on its target, and an ability to recognize the communicative potential of what might be deemed ordinary things. Through her pins, Secretary Albright tells us a great deal about herself—her sense of humor and her humanity—and does so with grace and flair.

    It is especially gratifying to know that this delightful collection, with its engaging history and purpose, can be shared with so many through this publication and the memorable exhibition it accompanies.

    David Revere McFadden

    Chief Curator, Museum of Arts and Design, New York

    Black rhinestone butterfly, Ann Hand

    green and coral butterfly, Kenneth Jay Lane

    blue butterfly, designer unknown

    light blue rhinestone butterfly, Ciner

    blue enamel butterfly, designer unknown

    large silver butterfly, Christian Dior

    gold butterfly, Cécile et Jeanne

    lattice filigree butterfly, Caviar

    opal butterfly, Tiny Jewel Box

    pearl butterfly, Kenneth Jay Lane

    gold butterfly and wreath, Miriam Haskell

    amber butterfly, designer unknown

    green and violet butterfly, Modital Bijoux

    rhinestone butterfly, José & María Barrera

    silver and blue butterfly, designer unknown

    gray rhinestone butterfly, Ciner.

    The pin that began it all. Serpent, designer unknown.

    I. The Serpent’s Tale

    The idea of using pins as a diplomatic tool is not found in any State Department manual or in any text chronicling American foreign policy. The truth is that it would never have happened if not for Saddam Hussein.

    During President Bill Clinton’s first term (1993–1997), I served as America’s ambassador to the United Nations. This

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