No comments about Wedgwood: A Collector's Guide.

1 comments about Greenbook Guide to Department 56 Villages (Greenbook Guide to).

1. This is an authoritative book on Department 56 Villages. The pictures accurately reflect each piece including accessories. Listed both by name of piece and by number of piece. Pictures are in color for easy identification. Valuable book especially when buying the retired pieces. Exceptional for those who need to have items insured above and beyond what normal homeowners regular policy covers (and extra coverage, but this is recommended). If you have extensive numbers of pieces and can't remember if you have a certain one a place for logging in info is provided. E.G., When bought, how much paid, current market value, and increase or decrease in value over the life of the piece. Very heplful for anyone getting started or those with large collections.

No comments about Ravilious & Wedgwood -The Complete Wedgwood Design: The Complete Wedgwood Designs of Eric Ravilius.

1 comments about Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Porcelain.

1. This is a narrative history of porcelain, lavishly illustrated. It covers only porcelain, not other forms of ceramics. It focuses on wares that I would consider exclusively museum quality. The illustrations are gorgeous. The text is gracefully written and thoroughly informative. Although it is not arranged topically as a real encyclopedia would be, it does have a marvelous glossary at the end that is an education in itself. With the caveat that this is a narrative not a topical reference, I highly recommend this book.

2 comments about Pottery and Porcelain Ceramics Price Guide (Antique Trader's Pottery & Porcelain Ceramics Price Guide).

1. This is a useful book. Many people tend to reach for the Kovels guides as a first resort, and I must admit I do so sometimes myself. But some of the more general guides they do are not as well organized as they could be. This book is organized well, contains a relatively thorough listing of the more common types of pottery and porcelain (although many of the more obscure types are not listed at all). The pricing part, alas, has the same problem that so many other reference books on collectibles deal with today, that being the effect that online auctions have had on pricing. So it may not reflect prices you'd see on Ebay or Amazon's auctions. But the prices give one a baseline from which to work, and seem accurate with regards to most markets. And the book is a convenient size to slip into your bag when you go to an antique store or live auction.



2. This is a nice book, but not broad enough, very limited on pieces displayed/reviewed. Also, the known makers marks for the companies included within the book are few and far between. Not every company represented in the book marks are shown, they should be. It makes a difference when trying to figure dates of manufacture etc.

1 comments about The Charleton Line: Decoration on Glass And Porcelain from Fenton, Cambridge, Consolidated, Westmoreland, Duncan & Miller, Heisey, Imperial, Limoges, And Others (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This is a fabulous book! It shows so many Charleton examples and identifies the various artists. It helped me identify designs that I had wondered what they were and where they came from. It's very thorough, detailed information, and a beautiful book to look at. I refer to it often and go through it every time I research a rose pattern that isn't Dresden.

1 comments about If dishes could talk.

1. Recently I did an exhibit highlighting my museum's collection of glass and china. Before I began, I admit I really didn't know all that much about china. As I searched our research library for books on the subject, If Dishes Could Talk by Mary L. Jackson caught my eye.
   
   Published in 1971, Jackson's overview of old china covers dozens of companies, providing the reader with a history of each one, as well as representative photographs of key patterns and important pieces. I was able to match several pieces in our collection to examples in this book.
   
   To create my exhibit, I first surveyed what we had in the collection. Whenever I found a company listed in the collections records, I turned to If Dishes Could Talk to see if it was included. Only a handful were not listed in her book, and they were rather obscure companies that I had not heard of either.
   
   The first chapter introduced the concept of Chinese Export Porcelain, which was among the first pieces of china used in Europe and America. Jackson creates an appropriate historical context for the companies she discusses in subsequent chapters.
   
   For my research purposes, chapters on Wedgwood, Spatterware, Majolica, American Belleek, and Haviland were particularly useful. Jackson provides a detailed explanation of the British Registry Mark, instructing the reader on how to decode its many symbols so you can date your piece of china.
   
   If you are hoping to delve deep into any one company, then this is not the book for you. It is more for someone who is curious about the china, or the novice collector who is trying to create a collecting focus. My exhibition was more of a "showcase" of the museum's collection, with a brief history of the companies whose ware is displayed. I was not looking for a tremendous amount of information on each company, so Jackson's book was ideal for me.
   
   I would have liked to see some color photographs, if only a few plates in the center of the book. Everything Jackson included was in black and white. Sometimes it is easier to identify a maker or pattern if you can see the piece in color.
   
   As with any work that is 30 years old, you can only trust it until the date of its publication, meaning when the author says "today," she means "1971" and not "2006." If you are interested in the more modern story of any of these companies, you will need to do additional research. But as a historical resource, this is a great book!

No comments about The Charlton Price Guide to Royal Doulton Beswick Storybook Figurines (Royal Doulton Collectible Series).

No comments about Zsolnay Ceramics: Collecting a Culture (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

No comments about Ceramics and pottery making for everyone.