1 comments about Yellow Ware.

1. This book is helpful in identifying pieces, and learning some early history, but of course the prices are very outdated. The photography isn't of the best quality, and in some cases, unprofessional looking for a book, but still interesting and helpful. There were some inconsistencies in the text and errors with Pottery names, but I think it's worth owning if you are a yellow ware collector.

3 comments about The Urizen Books (The Illuminated Books of William Blake, Volume 6).

1. These three works in some ways develop the characters Blake used in the three Continental Prophecies. But don't expect any kind of coherent development or to be able to fathom out any kind of understandable timeline. This is Blake after all. Most of this book is helpful introduction, commentary, notes, and supplementary materials.
   
   "The First Book of Urizen" is the longest of the three and the most illustrated. It has images that are absolutely unforgettable. They have a power and emotional impact that holds the viewer. I have met people who find them repulsive. I think the emotional impact makes them uncomfortable so they want to get away from the images and so push them away.
   
   "The Book of Ahania" and "The Book of Los" are much shorter and the illustrations are limited to the title page and the last plate ("The Book of Los" also has an illustration on the opening page of text.). The other pages are done in particularly fine Blake script.
   
   As with the rest of the volumes in this series the quality of reproduction is very high and these images are delightful to study. The scholarship is quite good and the writing is focused on opening these works up to the general reader - at least a general reader who enjoys studying Blake and is willing to put in the time it takes to fathom these rather wonderfully strange works. A treasure for the shelf of any Blake lover.



2. I recommend that any fan of William Blake buy this volume and the other 5 in the series. The books are beautiful, large, and handsomely bound. Each book is reproduced in full color, using a six-color printing process rather than the standard four. The pages are heavy, opaque and have a gorgous lustre indicating very high quality paper. The text of each book accompanies the color reproductions in standard typeface with very competent commentary to boot.



3. I recommend that any fan of William Blake buy this volume and the other 5 in the series. The books are beautiful, large, and handsomely bound. Each book is reproduced in full color, using a six-color printing process rather than the standard four. The pages are heavy, opaque and have a gorgous lustre indicating very high quality paper. The text of each book accompanies the color reproductions in standard typeface with very competent commentary to boot.

1 comments about Glazes for the Craft Potter (Ceramics).

1. I am a professional potter artist and clay sculptor.
   This is a must have glaze book for any potter. I will
   highly recommend this book to anyone starting in
   ceramics and to all professional potters out there!

No comments about The Art of Sardax (The Erotic Print Society's Great British Erotic Art S.).

1 comments about Egyptian Erotica: The Essence of Ancient Egyptian Erotica in Art and Literature (Essence of Erotica series).

1. This varied collection pulls together little-known material from the classical Egyptian era, a span of more than 3000 years. They were an agricultural people so fertility had profound meaning for them. And, like us, they were vividly aware of the many meanings of human sexuality. Those concerns and delights both had their place in the writings and visual art that have come down to us.
   
   This presents many samples from that long-lived civilization. Those include pictures from many papyri and other sources, from rough and iconic (p.123) to the more polished. I was especially impressed by the statuary and carvings, whether sensual and restrained (p.33, 102), comically bawdy (p.27), or functional as a lady's toy (p.39). The writings cover much the same range, including a Cinderella story where the glass slipper is replaced by a tuft of pubic hair!
   
   Despite the enjoyable parts of this book, it suffers systematic flaws. Many of the photos are out of focus, and many modern line drawings are interspersed with the original images. I found them annoying until I realized that they were tracings of originals, possibly ones that had been rendered almost illegible by the ravages of time. A caption or two would have helped the modern drawings to make sense. That leads to my biggest problem with this book: it's lack of attributions. As the authors point out, the classical period of Egypt lasted longer than any other civilization by thousands of years, and went through many cycles of cultural change during that time. Despite that, almost none of the artworks or writings are tied to any particular era or area. The resulting image of the people's beliefs about sex and sexuality has been torn into kaleidoscopic pieces and scattered throughout the book. Because there are no attributions or bibliography, the authors make it impossible for me to piece that history together on my own.
   
   This is OK as a coffee table book, despite the many flaws in the way it presents its images. It will disappoint any more serious reader, especially those who want a coherent picture of historical trends.
   
   //wiredweird

4 comments about A Guide to Czech & Slovak (Art) Glass.

1. This is the most useful guide to shopping for contemporary Czech and Slovak glass in its countries of origin. I have recommended it to all of my glass club members. Amazon.com, get more copies!!!!!



2. Having purchased glass from several of the factories mentioned in the book, I must attest that the information displayed is quite accurate. I will be using this referance book to guide me to other factories of interest. The great thing about the book is the detail about finding some of these factories. I only wish that I would have had it available on my first trip.



3. This is probably the best book I've seen on contemporary Czech glass. It explains all the triumphs and pitfalls the Czechs have experienced over the last century, and the exquisite glass they've produced nonetheless. It also gives valuable insights on contemporary Czech studio glass. A very valuable work.



4. This is a beautifully illustrated book which provides a complete tour of the most important glass producers in the Czech and Slovak Republics. Besides well written narratives about glass, its history and production techniques, the book provides important descriptions of the major artists with full colour pictures of some of their works. It is concise but well thought-out and is an important guide for the collector, the tourist, and anyone fascinated with beautiful glass. It is clearly the work of someone who loves and understands glass and who has taken great effort to share her passions. If you are interested in glass and are planning a trip to the region, it should be as important as any tour guide!

3 comments about A Potter's Notes on Tai Chi Chuan.

1. Margaret Emerson begins "A Potter's Notes on Tai Chi Chuan" with questioning whether she should even attempt to write about Tai Chi Chuan, given that this art does not consist of knowledge that can "be learned in the Western sense." "It is better named awareness," she continues, something that "can only be gained through experience." And yet, through very simply, precisely, lucidly detailing the factual intersections in her own life between her practice of Tai Chi Chuan and her work as a potter, she succeeds in illuminating the nature, results, and rewards of long-term practice of Tai Chi Chuan-or really any art.
   
   I highly recommend this series of brief essays, vignettes, meditations, or prose poems-Emerson's writings transcend any one category-for insight, encouragement, and inspiration for both would-be and experienced practitioners of Tai Chi Chuan and those interested in the artistic process in general.
   
   --Stephanie Hoppe, instructor, Tai Chi Chuan, and author of "Sharp Spear, Crystal Mirror: Martial Arts in Women's Lives



2. Margy's books are like practical poetry,relating wonderful images to be manefested in form, whether it be pottery or the ancient exercise of Tai Chi Chuan. Reading her books promotes disapline, and a daily practice of centering, balance, and the roots of grace.
   
   She presents the basic principle of Tai Chi Chuan dance, juxtiposed to the very basic material world of working with clay. It is amazing how these two opposites have so much in common... form, space, flowing energy into matter and substance.
   An interplay of yin and yang.
   
   Sifu Emerson offers meditative aspects in the living of everyday life. Sweet, sensible, sesitive and strong. Anyone who wants to connect to their lives with better awareness, will get more out of everyday experiences, with a reading of A Potter's Notes on Tai Chi Chuan.



3. The gentle movements between the two art forms - potting and tai chi chuan practice - using a third art form, written prose, echo the gentle movements of practice as taught by Margy. Really, you should read this book if you're practicing t.c.c. It's NOT a how-to manual and does not pretend to be, but is more a meditation on the process and how it has affected one person. This and her second book give a glimpse into the non-mysterious world of practice.

5 comments about Earth Transformed: Chinese Ceramics in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

1. A very nice text for a scholar of Chinese ceramics, and or cultured individual. Covers examples from Neolithic to Qing Dynasty. All of the photos are extremely well rendered, and scaled when appropriate to show close up details of the more important technical aspects of style. Many of the pieces are shown from various angles so as not to obscure hidden structure and detail. Every item represented is provided with dimensions which makes this book a valuable reference source. The author's very disciplined selection of pieces represent as broad a perspective of relevant styles as possible for a book of it's size, and single museum souce. Highly Recommend.



2. A very nice text for a scholar of Chinese ceramics, and or cultured individual. Covers examples from Neolithic to Qing Dynasty. All of the photos are extremely well rendered, and scaled when appropriate to show close up details of the more important technical aspects of style. Many of the pieces are shown from various angles so as not to obscure hidden structure and detail. Every item represented is provided with dimensions which makes this book a valuable reverence source. The author's very disciplined selection of pieces represent as broad a perspective of relevant styles as possible. Highly Recommend.



3. Overall, the book is of high quality. All the pictures were well taken. The pieces included were exceptional good pieces from different Chinese Dynasties. It is a book for those who have profound interest in Chinese works of art.

   Readers should pay special attention to the Ruyao saucer which arouses lots of discussions among professional dealers and serious collectors. It is a very controversial piece which needs to be more thoroughly studied and examined; and compared to the existing samples in different museums and private collections around the world. Without seeing and examining the piece in person, one cannot say for sure if it is a well-sought-after Ru ware or just a later copy.




4. Almost eighty objects covering 5,000 years of art history are featured in this roundup of Chinese ceramics in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Not only are the objects discussed in depth and presented in full color, but a timeline, sidebars of facts, kiln maps and other detailed information makes for a treasure-trove of insight and knowledge.



5. Earth Transformed: Chinese Ceramics In The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston by Wu Tung (Matsutaro Shoriki Curator of Asian Art and Head of the Department of the Art of Asia, Oceania, and Africa) is a gorgeous, coffee-table art book filled cover to cover with more than two hundred beautiful color photographs of seventy-nine smooth, elegant, picturesque and varied examples of the art of Chinese Ceramics throughout a 5000 year history. From decorative pottery to Buddhist sculptures, each ceramic is displayed with a detailed aside informing the reader about its origin and contextual meaning. A wondrous and beautiful book of three dimensional works of art, Earth Transformed is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library ceramic art and art history reference collections.

No comments about Vision and Painting: The Logic of the Gaze.

No comments about Enamels, Enameling, Enamelists (Jewelry Crafts).