4 comments about The Book of Meissen (A Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. I'm very kind with this book,there are many snaps,perfectly made,and the description for the english spoken collectors is really perfect.There is the best guide for the beginners end the advanced..This book will help to everybody for first time.For more professional knowledges you need special book (private and corporate edition from Meissen).I recommend it to anybody for firsts steps.Amazon shop is very grave seller.Thanks



2. I liked this book, but it was a little different than I had anticipated. I was expecting a pictoral history of Meissen porcelain and while the book does have numerous pictures including many in black and white, it really is primarily a history book of Meissen through the ages. It does not attempt to show any sort of survey of Meissen pieces, but rather through text and line drawings of marks and pattern details traces the lineage of "true Meissen" from the 1700's to the present. The chapter on imitations and forgeries was interesting. One would be very unlikely to "look up" a suspected piece of Meissen porcelain in this book. The text explaining the making of porcelain, the impressing of marks and the design process are the main parts of the book. It has a rather exhaustive discussion of the development and change over time of the Meissen maker's mark. It is useful as a historical reference, but not as a collector's identification guide.



3. The best reference book on Meissen I have in my collection. The detailed chapter on marks, both fake and true, has proven invaluable. Buy the book you won't regret it.



4. This is simply the best book on Meissen porcelain in the English language. Rontgen covers the history of the firm, including information concerning Meissen during the time of the GDR. Photographs, including many in color, make this an important contribution to art literature.

No comments about Tapestry of Cultural Issues in Art Therapy.

5 comments about Collector's Encyclopedia of Bauer Pottery - Identification & Values.

1. Mr. Chipman did a fantastic job at giving collectors an extensive history and overview of Bauer Pottery; its founders, key managers and workers and customer base. The book is an invaluable reference tool, especially for anyone who does not reside in an area where Bauer isn't "common". One must remember though, that this book was published before Martha Stewart featured the pottery in one of her magazine issues, thereby giving rise to the current popularity and scarcity of ringware. Therefore the prices, though out of date, were at one time quite accurate...new collectors can always dream of finding that rare piece priced by the standards of this text...Some of us were lucky enough to be collecting when the prices were even less than those listed here. Good luck!



2. Great photo shots of the various Bauer products. Highly useful to a novice collector interested in the history and examples of Bauer pottery. Enjoyable as a good read as well as a great guide for collecting.



3. This book is wonderful. I found everything I needed to know. Jack Chipman has done a great job - the text is clear and informative and the photos are especially good as they clearly show the important details . This will have a special spot in my book shelf....



4. I started collecting Bauer Ringwear by accident with a totally random visit to a wonderful shop on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles called Buddy's Art Pottery. Whenever I visited Hollywood, I knew that Buddy would help me choose that single, special, almost-affordable piece of Ringwear and spend lots of his time sharing his knowledge, as if I were a major purchaser. Buddy has, sadly, passed away and his shop is a thing of the past. Living in New York as I do, Bauer is not a common collectible. In fact, most antique dealers do not even know the name and try to steer me to their collection of Fiestaware.

   I am today a more informed buyer and that is mainly due to the writings of Jack Chipman. This Encyclopedia, specifically, has so many gorgeous photographs and such a thorough history of Bauer and its place in California pottery that I feel it is invaluable.

   It is obviously impossible for any writer/collector to price correctly since there are publishing deadlines that must be met and prices, as we all know, change on a daily basis from place to place. But Chipman's price guide is a great "jumping off place." As I cruise Ebay looking for a Bauer bargain, I often think of Buddy and I always consult Chipman. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED




5. We collectors all need to realize that price guides are just that, GUIDES! No one is ever totally happy with the values in books; either too high or too low, kinda just depends on if you are selling or buying. I feel that the prices are on the low side in Jack's book, but I would prefer that over him quoting the higher California area pricing; keep it real for the rest of us across the country. Even if you disregard the value guide aspect, this book is the most complete,informative book you can find if you like Bauer. The color photos are superb and the history is the best info I have found in print. Thank you Jack for putting up with the critics; just remember there are more fans that appreciate the work you have done for us.

No comments about Tiles Gone Wild: New Directions In Mixed Media Mosaics.

No comments about The Collections of Barbara Bloom.

No comments about The Human Form in Mosaic.

No comments about Firing: Philosophies Within Contemporary Ceramic Practice.

5 comments about Oaxacan Ceramics: Traditional Folk Art by Oaxacan Women.

1. I know little about Oaxacan ceramics but was immediately drawn to this book by the unbelievably beautiful photos. many of the shots are done outside using natural lighting and it gives the pieces a lifelike feel that I find wonderful. And the creativity of the pieces themselves! A wonderful introduction to one type of Mexican craft.



2. This is a fantastically colourful & inspiring book...and of the many, many ceramic books I own this is definitely in my Top 5. Lots of beautiful & detailed photos and interesting text. The only downside is that there isn't really any "how to" section in the book to show you how to make the wonderful folk art featured.



3. I love this book. I have been to Oaxaca several times and have visited most of the potters in the book. On my last trip, I asked each of the women to sign my book near her picture. This is now one of my most treasured posessions along with my memories of Oaxaca. The photographs are great and the stories are beautiful.



4. Born and raised in México and having a deep appreciation of its diverse and rich folk arts traditions, and guided by the reviews, I bought this book. What others say is true- this softbound book is lavishly illustrated and is a wonderful introduction to the contemporary ceramics covered, as well as the six women potters dealt with. Thise with a love of Oaxacan ceramics will likely love this book as well.

   There is but one, very significant problem: the title is, to me, completely misleading. The book actually covers two villages- Octolán de Morelos, and the reigning family of potters, as well as Santa María Atzompa and two of the many potters who work there. San Bartolo Coyotepec and the creator of world-renown black pottery, Doña Rosa Real de Nieto, and her descendants, for example, have no coverage in this book, nor do older more traditional forms.

   Oaxaca is an incredibly beutiful state, with many traditions and crafts. This book covers a small fraction of them- and in my opinion misleads with a title implying it covers all the ceramics of Oaxaca. With that caveat, I highly recommend (and give a restrained five stars to) this book, within the scope of its limitations.




5. Having been to Oaxaca approximately ten times in the past 20 years, I can appreciate the quality and beauty of this fine book. The reasonable price of this "paperback" belies its perfect format/size and its gorgeous photography, text and printing quality.

   I've rarely been satisfied with "crafts" books, but this one has been so perfectly written and executed, that it makes me want to jump on a plane and immediately fly to Oaxaca, to find and meet the fantastic artists presented here.

   I met one of these women several years ago (Angelica Vasquez), and this glorious book will create an urge in many of its readers to meet her and the other artists that are included here.

2 comments about Jess: To and From the Printed Page.

1. ...next time you stroll through a museum. You might make a discovery. I did, this morning. The De Young Museum of San Francisco has three paintings by "Jess", two of which I think are staggeringly good, figurative paintings built with almost bas-relief impasto. I bought this book at the museum store, and I've just begun to live with it.
   
   Much to my surprise, I knew this guy Jess years ago in San Francisco. He was the marriage-partner of the poet Robert Duncan. I didn't enjoy Duncan's poetry, and I suppose I let it show. In any case, we were civil but no more, and I completely ignored the partner's art openings.
   
   My loss.
   
   Jess was born in 1923. His birth name was Burgess Collins. He was a brilliant chemist and worked on the Manhatten Project in the production of plutonium. After 1945, he continued in plutonium science with the Hanford Atomic Energy Project. In 1949, he had an epiphany; he found himself conscience-stricken over the destructive powers of nuclear weapons. He abandoned science entirely and turned to art.
   
   Our gain.



2. I came across one small work by Jess while visiting a small museum recently, and was utterly taken by its mysterious quality, both erotic & ominous, achieved through collage of kitschy figures with more subtle, understated images. I'd never seen anything quite like it & immediately wanted to know more about the man & his work. This volume is the perfect introduction to both.
   
   The longtime companion of poet Robert Duncan, Jess dropped his last name when he cut ties with his disapproving family. Openly gay long before it was common or safe, his art reflects his life -- although sexuality is just one of his subjects. He was clearly a student of surrealism, incorporating it into his art, sometimes for individual pieces, sometimes to illustrate small magazines.
   
   And his interests are definitely wide-ranging! For example, he recreates text in several Dick Tracy comic strips, creating the satiric & thought-provoking new comic strip, "Tricky Cad." Many of his magazine covers & illustrations have an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere drawing upon alchemical & occult sources. All of his work is infused with intelligence & vision.
   
   Some may believe that anyone can create collage, that it requires no real talent. Well, anyone can create bad or inept collage, and all too many do -- formulaic Victorian fluff & dunce caps, alas! But this is collage at its finest, truly raising the bar, demonstrating that it's art. Highly recommended!

2 comments about The Knowing Body: The Artist as Storyteller in Contemporary Performance.

1. Steinman's book really stands alone among performance art books. While there are many that document what particular artists are doing, this one offers a way in for a person who wants to perform (or know more about how performance artists work). The book is difficult to characterize: while not exactly a "how-to" manual, it inspired me to create new art and to think about how we tell stories with our bodies, with images, in front of an audience. Must reading for anyone interested in performance art, it will also be fascinating to those in theatre, playwriting, visual arts and performance of any sort. I lend mine out all the time (but it's one of a few among my many books that I make sure I always get back!)



2. For some reason, this book is still the only one of its kind, delving into the performance art philosophies of Meredith Monk, Barbara Dilley, Ping Chong, and Spalding Gray, just to name a few. Beautifully illustrated, this book explores dance and performance art from a kind of Jungian/shamanist/Buddhist perspective. You can learn from this book just what it means to be an artist--or just what it means to be alive