This bibliography is part I in a series covering sources and trade in amber artifacts. This part contains ancient references, the first attributed to Homer, but most references post-date 1500 A.D.. In 4 pages of introductory comments, the compilers summarize questions related to amber trade. Prior to 1872, it was assumed that all amber came from the well known sources in northern Europe. Capellini was the first to suggest that other fossil resins may have been exploited in antiquity. This precipitated a wave of applications of physical/chemical analysis to the problem. At the same time, geologists and mineralogists were clarifying the natural distribution of amber. Archaeologists have also contributed by mapping archaeological finds of amber, thus indicating possible trade routes. Entries in the bibliography fall into seven more or less distinct categories: (1) chemical and physical analyses of artifacts; (2) chemical and physical analyses of naturally occurring fossil resins; (3) reports on the natural distribution of Baltic amber; (4) reports on excavated amber; (5) studies of amber trade and trade routes; (6) a few references to classical writers who mention the amber trade; (7) analytical methods for distinguishing genuine amber from imitations.