The Lost Art of Spinning Tops

The LOST ART OF SPINNING TOPS It may have been maple seeds twirling down from a tree or the empty sea conch found on a beach that drew the attention of the earliest people on earth and that served as an inspiration. What is certain is that the top has been used as a toy, a weapon or a magical instrument for thousands of years. “The lost Art of Spinning Tops” describes the exciting journey of the top from then up to the present day. In a chronological story and 1150 colour pictures the evolution of the top and the game of tops is described by Dutch collector Lourens Bas and photographer Arthur Verdoorn. Even though the top and the games played with it have a rich history, it seems as if their evolution during thousands of years has now come to a standstill and that the game of playing with tops, both indoors and out on the streets, has become a thing of the past. The selection of pictures comes from the vast private collection of the author and has never before been used for publication. The selection is intended to emphasize the artistic virtuosity of the designers of these tops and their accessories. The extensive references to literature are an interesting source of information for current and new collectors of tops and similar toys.