How should one approach a bibliography of bronze? Where should one draw limits around a subject that is informed not only by the artists, founders and collectors of bronze sculpture over hundreds of years, but also by the contexts in which they operated, such as the mining and trading of bronze alloys; commercial production of bronze statuettes and the evolution of casting techniques; the role of bronzes in churches, domestic and public spaces; the historiography of their classification and display; their archaeology and conservation? As the essays in this volume demonstrate, the many facets of bronze are hardly unified by material alone. Much of the data is historically specific and mostly it is studied in isolation. But if we turn our attention to the material itself, and focus on its intrinsic qualities and associations, we can discover meaningful connections across different cultures and contexts. In compiling this bibliography we have, therefore, looked for some common threads, and assembled a list of texts which, directly or obliquely, explore the iconology of bronze – its symbolic significance, beliefs associated with it, the absorption of its meanings by successive cultures. We have excluded technical texts that focus purely on process, but included those that also reveal something about the wider contexts in which those processes were negotiated. Thus, Cellini’s autobiography is listed here not so much for what it reveals about the methods of his Perseus cast, but for showing us how a goldsmith mythologized his craft through a description of the casting. Similarly, Diane Ahl’s edited volume on Leonardo’s Sforza monument is included for what it tells us about the connection between artists and cannon-founders, indicating that bronze functioned not only as a symbol of power, but as an instrument of war. Many of these texts formed the basis of research for the Henry Moore Institute’s exhibition Bronze: the power of life and death (15 September 2005–7 January 2006). While our bibliography is therefore subjectively linked to the objectives of the exhibition, we also hope that it can provide a starting point for exploring the material itself, and thinking about how its meanings have developed over time. Historical accounts of bronze are listed in this bibliography as primary sources under the name of the original author, with an indication of significant translations and later editions. Secondary sources are listed under author or title for exhibition catalogues.