No comments about The Penny Bank Book (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1 comments about Japanese Porcelain 1800-1950 (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. A large format book with about 45% of the numerous illustrations in color, this work presents specimans of the full range of styles; Arita and Imari, Hirado, Kakiemon, Nabashima, Kutani, Satsuma, Kyoto-Satsuma, Seto and Nagoya. A wonderful resource for dealers and collectors.

5 comments about If These Pots Could Talk: Collecting 2,000 Years of British Household Pottery.

1. One of the better overviews of everyday household pottery I've come across. The author makes it like taking a lively personable tour of pieces from 2000 years ago to the present. Great ideas for potters and a nice presentation for pottery lovers as well



2. This is the largest, heaviest book I own. Really! I thought it would take years to get through, but the pages are quite thick, and it's well-written. A fun book for the pottery enthusiast who is already familiar with the basics, it gives numerous insights into the detective work employed in the course of archeological research. Refreshingly personal on the part of the author. Each chapter is an appitizer that stimulates the reader's interest in another facet of (unfortunately) rarely encountered pottery. The charming cover adds to the book's appeal as a coffee-table selection, but make sure the table has sturdy legs!



3. Noel Hume compiled this wonderful treasury of ceramics mostly from his personal collection. This book is invaluable in my Colonial Archaeology class. Even if you are midly interested in ceramics, this beautifully illustrated book is an easy read, and very informative.



4. This is a comprehensive review of British pottery and ceramics written by eminent retired archeologist of Colonial Williamsburg and writer Ivor Noel-Hume. It reviews British ceramics for a period covering the past 2000 years and is particularly interesting to Americans because most of the ceramics recovered in American colonial sites were of British origin or European origin associated with the British colonial trade and were therefore exported to the colonies. Noel-Hume is an excellent and entertaining writer and he make the book interesting with personal accounts of how he and his wife Audrey,also an eminent archeologist,collected or recovered many of the examples shown. I would recomend this book to anyone interested archeaology or pottery/ceramics.



5. When I look for a good book on pottery and Porcelain, I always look for something that will not "lull me to sleep" with drole monotone type sentences, but rather something that presents not only important details, facts and descriptions but does so in a interesting manner. With "If these Pots Could Talk" you get everything! From enjoyable "in the field stories" to truly illuminating facts that ever increases ones appreciation of the "pots and dishes" that so many are hasty to overlook once they hear that they hold no "intristic market value".
   This book makes the studying of pottery and porcelain not only interesting but also something that is rarely heard of in the "sophisticated collecting field" FUN!

No comments about Meissen Figures 1730-1775: The Kaendler Period (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

No comments about Fragile Diplomacy: Meissen Porcelain for European Courts (Bard Graduate Centre for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design & Culture).

3 comments about Warman's American Pottery and Porcelain.

1. I returned this book because I was looking for more photos to refer to. I thought, for a beginner, this book was too difficult to follow.



2. Good book, covers the makers styles and years produced as well as who purchased and made like items, Covers a vast number of years and well worth the purchase price.



3. Second edition of the popular volume updated for the year 2000. There are 224 pages with more than 200 black and white photos and a 16-page color section. This encyclopedia describes and prices almost 12,000 items produced by 150 American potteries. Introductory text covers Derivation of Prices, Role of Condition, State of the Market, America's Ceramics Industry, and handy abbreviations used throughout the work. There's also an appendix with auction houses, museums, glossary and a useful index, that facilitates finding items. Topics range from Advertising and Calendar Plates, Children's Ware, Dresden Pottery, to Warwick China, Wheatley Pottery, and Yellowware. Plenty of text is included for each category. A useful book that collectors will refer to often.

5 comments about Blue Ridge China Today.

1. I found this very useful. I have seven different Blue Ridge Pottery books that I used to identify over 1000 pieces I owned. Now I have dispursed my collection and have no use for my books so I will sell them.



2. This book is a wonderful follow-up to their first book! The pictures are clear; as are the names, descriptions and prices. What more could you ask for to assist you in making knowledgeable decisions about Blue Ridge Pottery? We have used this book and their previous book to help us price new pieces for our collection and have found them both to be invaluable! This book is especially good at showing some of the harder-to-find Blue Ridge pieces! Another "must-have" for any serious collector!



3. This book has been extremely helpful to me. I couldnt find half of the patterns in the other Blue Ridge book written by Betty and Bill Newbound. I buy and sell Blue Ridge so I am constantly looking for the names of patterns. Frances and John Ruffin are WONDERFUL people. When I cant find a pattern in their book, I email them with a picture and they tell me the pattern name. It cant get better than that! :))



4. I have every book published on the subject of Blue Ridge china & Southern Potteries. This is the one that my friends and I use on a daily basis, rarely looking at the others. This book is the first one that we pick up and the one we find the easiest to use and the most beneficial. The authors show hundreds of samples of Blue Ridge in an organized fashion that offers assistance with pattern names, shapes and pricing. The authors obviously used their own collection as well as photos from the collections of others. They have shown Blue Ridge as it is found today (many times with defects). It is a tremendous help to me and I could not do without it! I highly recommend that anyone interested in Blue Ridge dinnerware or china pieces purchase this book. You will not be sorry.



5. You would have thought that these authors with the resources at their disposal (collections they visited and chances to take picures of real good pieces)would not have used so many bad pictures. Teapots, candy boxes etc. with mismatched lids. Pattern names placed with wrong plates etc. Would not recommend this book!!!!!

5 comments about Beatrix Potter Collectibles: The Peter Rabbit Story Characters.

1. Especially for those who are passionate about Beatrix Potter. Sewall and Dubay do an excellent job in showcasing items often overlooked in other price guides. This is not to imply this book is simly a price guide. It is much more - a true delight!



2. Charming book documents Beswick, Royal Doulton, Royal Albert, Wedgwood, Crummles, Eden Plush, Giants, Pull Toys, Musical Toys Hand Puppets, Beanie Babies, etc., Schmid Music Boxes, Anri, Border Fine Arts Figurines, Steiff, Tins, R. John Wright, etc. by author Debby DuBay, foreword by Potter expert Judy Taylor, highlighting Kara and John Sewall's private collection. Fabulous colored photographs with complete descriptions and a value under each. This price guide is easy to read and the only one I could find on general B. Potter collectibles. Highly recommend this lovely yet inexpensive book.



3. Collecting is wonderful and documenting a collection is an honor that Ms. Dubay has bestowed on her friends the Sewall's. There are many books on the market that go into Ms. Potter's life like expert Judy Taylor who wrote the foreword for this book! As a novice collector, of many porcelain pieces, this is the first book I could find that has the values and is actually a useful price guide for the diverse Potter collector. I highly recommend.



4. This charming book opens with Debby DuBay chatting away on how she met the Miss Potter and collector of today - Kara Sewall. I love this book and highly recommend it to all collectors, Peter Rabbit and Potter fans. Thanks to Debby DuBay for another charming book; she has a unique way of inviting us into her life and the lives of her friends and then getting us addicted to whatever the subject is that she is documenting. I am now a Limoges and Potter collector.



5. I have collected Beatrix Potter for many years and finally a price guide is available on many of the pieces I have collected. I highly recommend this book to collectors of Beatrix Potter memorabilia from Wedgwood, Crummles, Schmid Music Boxes, etc., from the 1970s to today. LOVE this price guide!

1 comments about Art Deco Noritake & More: A Photographic And Historical Record (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. David Spain's new book, Art Deco Noritake & More, is filled to the brim with stunning photographs that bring to life more of the work of the artisans of Noritake...to savor slowly and deliciously. WOW!
   
   In addition, to my delight, Spain has written a fascinating history of Noritake, highlighted with rare, early 20th century photographs..most never before published. I loved seeing the founders, the artists, the workers and their workplaces, the people of Noritake who created the magnificent porcelain fancyware and dinnerware avidly sought by today's collectors.
   
   Spain's easy to master, revolutionary system for numbering Noritake backstamps is still a gem. Best of all, he's added more backstamps to the collection and has included documentation for some previously only thought to have been used by the Noritake Company.
   
   New or old to Noritake collecting, or just looking for a gorgeous coffee table book or a special gift, you'll love this one.

5 comments about Collector's Encyclopedia of American Dinnerware.

1. I really love this book. I've used it many times to find the names of patterns I have from years of estate sales to sell on e-Bay. Great work.



2. A wonderful beautifully done book.This is a great book for looking up patterns. There are plenty of color photos which show great detail. I plan on buying the previous and subsequent volumns of this book.



3. While the book was somewhat helpful with listing the various companies, it was very short in pattern names, examples and pricing.



4. Other than the photos, there isn't much here. It's very amateurish. Whole categories are missing -- there is barely a mention of "Fiesta" at all. Makes you think the publisher had an arrangement so as not to infringe on sales of their Fiesta books. There is no mention of Metlox. Also, while there is a price guide, it only lists the specific pieces that are shown in the photos, not all the pieces in the line. This is a major shortcoming. There should be some mention of pieces not shown. The book is also poorly organized, with ads from old magazines interspersed with original writing. It reminds me of an 8th grade book report. Spend your money elsewhere.



5. The title of this book implies that it is an all-encompassing American dinnerware reference work. However, it is sadly lacking in both breadth and depth. Any collector would be well advised to look elsewhere. This work is so superficial that it is virtually useless.