4 comments about American Art Pottery: A Collection of Pottery, Tiles, and Memorabilia, 1880-1950 : Identification & Values.

1. This is a highly personal volume, based largely on the author's own collection and interests. But this takes it well beyond the typical collector's book. Sigafoose manages to revive the vanished America of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, putting American art pottery in its social and cultural context. Especially fascinating are the many postcards, factory views, advertisements, and catalogue pages that show how the makers of art pottery presented themselves to the world. "Large gaudy vases and highly colored pictures look cheap and commonplace," advises one such ad. "One small [art pottery] vase, costing perhaps a dollar, will do more to give that touch of elegance and refinement to the the home than any other one thing."



2. This is a highly personal volume, based largely on the author's own collection and interests. But this takes it well beyond the typical collector's book. Sigafoose manages to revive the vanished America of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, putting American art pottery in its social and cultural context. Especially fascinating are the many postcards, factory views, advertisements, and catalogue pages that show how the makers of art pottery presented themselves to the world. "Large gaudy vases and highly colored pictures look cheap and commonplace," advises one such ad. "One small [art pottery] vase, costing perhaps a dollar, will do more to give that touch of elegance and refinement to the the home than any other one thing."



3. I know Dick Sigafoose personally, and he knows his Art Pottery. This book is well written and beautifully illustrated, and covers all of the major art pottery studios - from vases to tiles. Every page is filled with good, clear color photos, plus detailed information on the studios that produced these works of art. I highly recommend this book to art pottery collectors - both advanced and beginners.



4. This is a lovely book. Beautiful pictures.The collection concentrates on Art Tiles rather than Art Pottery. Great articles on the companies histories. If you collect Art Pottery Tiles this book is for you!

1 comments about Painting Porcelain in the Meissen Style (Schiffer Craft Book).

1. For whom beginning porcelain painting, this is proper guide book.
   We can catch a sample to follow..

2 comments about A Collectors Guide to Royal Copenhagen Porcelain (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. I ordered this book because of the fact it dealt with figurines. There are a lot of Royal Copenhagen figurine pictures with only a small amount of information, but pretty comprehensive on backstamps used and dates of figurines. Also discusses several of the more famous artists that work on these items. I found it quite interesting and a must have if you are an ardent collector.



2. This book is really only about figurines, with a little history of the company markings. It does not cover any dishes or accent pieces for the china collector. The product description may lead you to think it covers it all, but it doesn't.

3 comments about Cali Boys.

1. I received this book as a gift from someone who knew I would like it (even though he didn't know I like Joe Phillips).
   
   There are two things I love most about this book.
   
   - Every guy has a big smile on his face. You can see this not only in his lips, but in every part of the face. Just looking at the eyes you will see these guys are having a lot of fun. This transmits good feelings to the viewer, and looks awesome in the illustrations.
   
   - The attention to details! This just applies to everything! Different skin tones, complexions, clothing styles, body hair, face structures, you name it. Freckles and barely visible growing beard are just two examples of this.
   
   Now, what I have said so far works for all of Joe Phillips's illustrations, I guess, so I do have to talk about the book itself.
   
   - Its size is perfect for these illustrations, and way better for the couple two-page spreads included.
   - The printing quality is good, and all the colors look very good and bright.
   - The binding is strong, so no complaints there.
   
   I don't think I need to recommend this book, just look at the cover and you will know what kind of art you can expect from it. If you like what you see in the cover, you will love what is inside.



2. Phillips has produced another volume of handsome, fresh-faced twinks, this time cavorting in the sun-drenched landscapes of California. His boys are universally adorable, nicely built, and drawn with an obviously loving attention to detail. I'd love to get some of these images as wall-art sized prints!



3. If you like manga / comics, this will be a feast.
   All-boy, all under Californian shiny skies, playing innocently with one another with skates, surfboards, cars, etc. You fel like joinig them in this outdoor, happy world...
   
   A definite keep!

4 comments about The Glaze Book.

1. This book contains no valuble recipies. All of the earthenware stuff is lead based and most of the other recipies use stains and other pre-made colors, one "recipie" specifies to use 100% of a commercial red glaze, with no modifications at all. This book is such a waste.



2. I bought this book because I confused it with another title and I was so disappointed with it I felt I have to warn others. Since I work with stoneware in the temperature-region of 1240-1260 °C I wanted a book with lots of stoneware recepies - but almost all stoneware glaze recepies in this book are adjusted to 1290-1300 °C !!! I don't know a single potterer that fires stoneware at those temperatures and have never heard of one either. I feel bewildered and cheated. And the book brags about having over 700 recepies but many of the recepies are the same with only a slight slight change in the amount of colouring oxides! There are also recepies in the book that are exactly the same.
   I don't know how such a bad book could ever have been published to be frank.



3. Although the book is nicely presented with durable material/cover/binding, it was a major dissapointment. I would have returned it back to Amazon, but unfortunately I have opened the shrink wrap packaging! Almost all the earthenware formulas have Lead Bisilicate in them!!! The remaining few are made up of colourants/stains and ready made mixtures! The stoneware and porcelain parts look good, but hey.. most of the hobbyists and amateurs like me fire at low temperatures! I don't recommend it at all.



4. While doing research for some new earthenware glazes I came upon this book which has a large section dedicated to that subject (as well as raku, majolica, stoneware and porcelain).

   The test tile examples are beutiful and it is laid out in a different fashion than normal; by color not colorant. I found that to be helpful.

   Then I started reading the glaze recipes.... a MAJOR percentage of the earthenware recipes use lead bisilicate. I was sceptical, but since some of the glazes were marked for "Domestic" use I decided to try them out.

   That ended up being a colosal waste of time, energy and money. All eight glazes that I tested for "Domestic" use leached lead in testing at home. I don't know how one would begin to use or sell glazes that leach lead. From a practical view I don't think I would ever be able to tell a customer that it's a lead glaze, but not to worry '""cause this book I got the recipe from said it was okay to eat off of."

   I'm quite disappointed. For people who do low-fire ceramics (which would be about every grade school , junior high, hobby-ist...I know of) this is most definately NOT the book for you. The author needs to be a little more up front about what's in the recipes and exactly what kind of lead leach test those recipes passed to be considered for "Domestic" use.

   Someone out there needs to write a very comprehensive book in the same style for just low-fire ceramics that may include these glazes (along with alkaline glazes etc....), but be more realistic about usages.

No comments about Russian Enamels: Kievan Rus to Faberge.

4 comments about Flow Blue: A Collector's Guide to Patterns, History, and Values (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This book is a part of my Flow Blue research library. Jeffrey Snyder is a leading authority in Flow Blue collecting. His descriptions are clear and precise. His photography is fantastic.
   The prices listed in this book should only be used for insurance purposes as the Flow Blue collecting phase swings with decorating fashions and colors of the times. In reality, you can find prices much more affordable than suggested in ths book.
   Add this to your collection and you will enjoy it for years to come!



2. This book gives readers a thorough understanding of what Flow Blue is, when it was made, how it was decorated and what it is worth. The pictures are terrific. However, a book would have to be huge to provide prices for every piece in every place setting (there are over 1500 patterns)! I'm tired of reviews from inexperienced folks who don't know enough to review responsibly. Get this book and judge for yourself. It's been around for years and is worth having!



3. This book provides newcomers and long time collectors with hundreds of patterns in Flow Blue. The wares are organized chronologically by period and values are provided for the wares shown. For beginners the book defines the wares, details the decorations and how they were applied and provides information on the marks appearing on the wares. This is a very good book with solid research and beautiful photographs that will serve collectors well for many years.



4. Just a simple question, right? Wrong! I paid a lot of moneyhoping to find an answer to my question. This book is for a collectorwho already knows what the flow blue pieces are worth. If you're a beginning collector, save your money!

No comments about LA Climbs: Alternative Uses for Architecture.

No comments about Collecting Salt & Pepper Shaker Series (Salt and Pepper Shaker Series).

3 comments about Dresden Porcelain Studios: Identification & Value Guide.

1. Dresden Porcelain made in the late 19th and early 20th century are mostly hand-decorated, and the book presents information by maker or studio, which is easy to follow. With makers marks, basic information and hundreds of photographs, the publication is a true resource for the beginning or advanced collector. I've collected Dresden for years, and refer to this book often!
   I appreciate the Harran's as porcelain dealers and collectors, who, like me, have published on our favorite antiques and collectibles!
   My book is also available right here on AMAZON!
   Pictorial Guide to Silvered Mercury Glass: Identification & Values



2. This book is just right for the beginner. It gives a bit of history,a price range on some pieces and some lovely pictures but not many identifying marks. It looks lovely on your table, but if your looking for identifying marks,and dating your dresden this is just the tip of the iceberg.



3. You can reach to know the value and identification of the arts.