No comments about Tacita Dean: Analogue.

3 comments about The Potter's Directory of Shape and Form (Ceramics) (Ceramics).

1. This book consists of silhouettes and photos of various pottery forms. Very interesting design resource.
   
   However, a better buy would be Neal French's "The Potter's Encyclopedia of Color, Form and Decoration: The Comprehensive References for Today's Ceramicist". It includes the exact contents of this book, along with Constant & Ogden's "Potter's Palette", along with some pages of additional decoration photos. (For that reason I'm giving this one only two stars).



2. ....but I was a tad disappointed with the slight bias towards forms with lids and handles. Despite this, the book is a great guide for beginner and intermediate level pottery enthusiasts (using either hand throwing and coiling methods)as it contains a lot of ideas to make your next project! A good book to have if you are just starting out and want to break away from the traditional shapes of bowls and pots.



3. ... well illustrated with photos of every type of shape and form... a picture book for potters! A fun reminder of forms often forgotten when busy producing a "type" of piece. Broken down into seven sections; including holloware, flatware and decorative, and further sub-sectioned by pages specifically for lids, handles and feet... each page has a color-coded technique key, as well as a photo example and drawn example of each shape or form. This well layed out and easy to follow book is a definite asset to any potter's library. Also includes term glossary.

1 comments about Watt Pottery: A Collector's Reference With Price Guide.

1. For a book on Watt Pottery, this book is an excellent value and well worth your time and energy. I had to special order mine, and it took a while to get to me, but I was very happy with it.

1 comments about Coven 2 - A Gallery Girls Book (Gallery Girls Collection).

1. If you're a practicing Wiccan, you'd be best advised to stay away from the Coven Gallery Girls series. The second of three books in the series, Coven 2 does everything it can to reinforce the traditional image of the witch pointy fat, black cat familiars, and riding broomsticks...and naked to boot! The Coven volume 2 provides another 64 pages of pinup quality drawings of sexy, naughty witches drawn by some of the hottest pinup artists in the field today.
   
   Let's start with a fantastic cover by Tomas Giorello with a scantily clad witch in pilgrim's hat sitting on top of a jack-o-lantern. I dare say that if witches looked like her, then the puritans would have never have hung them back in 1692 Salem! Of course, I will pickup anything that features the ENORMOUS talents of Arantza and Pelaez, two of my favorite artists who are regular contributors to all of the various Gallery Girls collections from Sal Quartuccio Productions (SQP).
   
   Arantza and Pelaez contribute several illustrations each to this volume. Aranzta's notable drawings include a dark haired beauty casting a terrible curse on an unfortunate soul with a voodoo doll and another a nude witch, long nails dripping with blood, and a serpent coiled between her legs. Pelaez's contributions include a topless witch, in traditional pointy hat, relaxing in her favorite chair with two black cats under her feet, and my favorite in the book, two nude witches in a cemetery standing by an ancient tombstone, calling forth the corpse of the person buried there...both erotic and terrifying all at once!
   
   Enric goes a different route with two old hags holding a blonde captive in chains as they paint symbols on her naked body for an unholy ritual. James Ryman, another of my favorite Gallery Girls contributors, has a pair of witches frolicking gleefully before a giant cauldron as a massive demon is conjured up. Meriggi has the most humorous entry as a group of armed soldiers dragging away a witch will soon be regretting their decision as they begin to cough up serpents from their mouths.
   
   Other artists featured include: Boada, Pascarelli, Parillo, Maraschi, Pedro Cuevas, DelRivero, and more.
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson

No comments about Beginner's Guide: Anatomy (HT21).

1 comments about Enamelling (The Art of Crafts).

1. This book is a great book for the beginning enamelist like myself. It has a number of projects that guide you from simple to complex procedures. It has alot more interesting techniques of wet and dry enameling than the many america books I own. It also talks about enamel decals, which I haven't seen in any american book. There are a number of US and European suppliers in the back of the book too-VERY helpful!
   
   Get this book FIRST, then move on to the others-you won't be sorry.

No comments about The French Country Table: Pottery & Faience of Provence.

No comments about The Botanical Footwear of Dennis Kyte.

2 comments about Redwing Art Pottery: Identification & Value Guide.

1. This book is a definite improvement over the last edition Dollen put out on Red Wing, but I still find it somewhat incomplete. For example, I would have liked more examples of the various patterns of mixing bowls, as they differ greatly.

   That being said, there are improvements that were made which make this a better book than the last. I like the fact that more backstamps (marks) are shown, and I appreciate the more extensive treatment of dinnerware. All in all, a worthwhile book, if a little high priced.




2. This book is not an extensive encyclopedia. It provides an introduction and overview to the Red Wing art pottery lines from the 20s - 60s. It covers a number of different patterns and types, but is not as complete as it could be.

   I would have preferred to see many more photos of backstamps (marks), as Red Wing used many. It would have been good to have those, along with associated dates, in order to help date various pieces. As well, more photos of everything would have been nice. All in all, this is a start, but not the be-all-and-end-all a serious collector needs.

No comments about Playtime Pottery & Porcelain: From Europe & Asia (Schiffer Book for Collectors With Value Guide).