2 comments about Franciscan Hand-decorated Embossed Dinnerware.

1. Excellent reference book and also very interesting. This book answered all my questions. Highly recommend.



2. I love this book. I have known James for about 10 years. He has been collecting Franciscan dishes and patterns like Desert Rose and Apple and Ivy for over 25 years now. This is the best book for a Franciscan California Pottery or dinnerware collector.There is information on Catalina Ceramics and Art deco. There are unique bits of information that only a seasoned collector would know.

2 comments about Acoma & Laguna Pottery.

1. I received this book today and was unable to put it down. Very informative, well researched, and of course the pictures were beautifully displayed. It answered questions I had that only an expert could reveil or an Acoma potter could provide. Don't pass this one up!



2. Elliott and co authors have captured the essence of Acoma and Laguna in their pictures and text of this highly collectible Native American pottery. As a small collector of this pottery, I have learned so much more from this wonderful book! If you are on a "hunt" for Acoma and Laguna collectibles, I recommend you take this book along with you.

3 comments about Collector's Encyclopedia Of Stangl Artware, Lamps, and Birds: Identification & Values (Collector's Encyclopedia of Stangl Artware, Lamps, and Birds) 2nd Edition.

1. I am a fairly new Stangl bird collector. I purchased this book to acquire more knowledge on Stangl birds.



2. The weighty Collector's Encyclopedia Of Stangl Artware, Lamps And Birds Identification & Values by Robert C. Runge Jr. offers a pleasing layout which lends to quick reference: color-coded sidebars of values accompany bright color photos and a guide which packs in Stangl company history and issues and reissues in an invaluable guide. Very strong recommendations for avid genre collectors, indeed.



3. Excellent book for the those interested in collecting Stangl. Great color pictures and helpful price guide. Highly recommend!

2 comments about Alabama Folk Pottery.

1. This book was marvelous. The information contained within was well researched and very thorough. I immensely enjoyed every page, every article, every entry well, you get the picture. It was just what I was hoping for and very good.



2. Evidenced by twenty years of research, Alabama Folk Pottery introduces the reader to the pottery of the state. Joey Brackner's production of a well organized and beautifully presented piece of scholarship helps the reader to see and understand the potters, the craft and its history. Due to his thorough researcch and effective presentation, this book is well worth the price tag.

1 comments about Yakimono: 4000 Years of Japanese Ceramics.

1. gorgeous photos, and a lovely selection of pieces. a must for anyone interested in japanese ceramics

3 comments about What Every Potter Should Know.

1. A wealth of solid advice on how to prevent (or solve) a wide variety of ceramics problems. Well-written and easy to read. A unique collection of topics, but well-organized, making it easy to find what you're looking for. Includes details about clays and glazes, buying materials, firing, safety, and even business considerations. The title is accurate: you really should know what's in this book, and much of it you won't find elsewhere.



2. I am a self taught potter. This is one of the first books I bought on the subject and I still find it very valuable. It gets to the point and addresses practical problems in clear and specific ways. The glaze recipes that are given work, however it helps to have a bit of knowledge first. (I didn't understand about the thermal expansion of lithium and one of the base glazes give is overloaded with it. It broke my clay body apart completely, not surprising from its chemistry. On the proper clay body it would have been fine.) The solutions to the problems work well. I am using, with good results, a clay body that uses advise from this book. It doesn't have every solution to problems, but I haven't seen any book that does. It is interesting and covers a wide range of important issues for the potter, issues that are often left out of other books. I highly recommend it for anybody who works in clay, specifically those who mix their own clay and glazes.



3. As a beginner in the world of pottery, I found this book to be useful in a language that is easy to follow and understand.

3 comments about Collectors Guide to Made in Japan Ceramics: Identification & Values Book III (Collector's Guide to Made in Japan Ceramics).

1. 
   I collect older (collectible) MADE IN JAPAN items and therefore I have quite a few books on the subject. This book is not complete but quite helpful. Photos are nice.
   
   Many different volumes have been written on this subject. Infact, I own 3 other books on this subject.
   
   When "Made in Japan" collectibles were issued there were sooooo many different items sold, that it would be impossible to include all of them in just one book. The author tried and did a good job though.



2. This was an awesome product for me to have because I have alot of ceramics that have the made in japan labels on them. It is really fun to look them up to see if what you have is worth anything.



3. Made in Japan Ceramics Book 3 continues to give the readers what they want: INFORMATION ! Biscuit Barrels, Figurines, Condiment Sets , Wall Pockets, etc.,etc., with top notch color photos. Carole Bess White has chosen to share her vast knowledge and love of these charming pieces. Thanks Carole. When shall we expect volume #4 ?

3 comments about Ceramics.

1. The book itself is informative but not all that captivating. Other than that the item was brand new and arrived in fabulous condition in a short amount of time. I was very happy with the sender.



2. This book is not a glossy full-color presentation of the world's spectacular ceramic pieces. It does contain a hundred or so black and white illustrations of ceramics from almost all cultures; ancient and modern. Philip Rawson writes about the general concept of ceramics, the techniques, and the philosophy and symbolism. I found this book to be very helpful in that it gives an overview of all types of ceramics and allows the interested potter or sculptor to survey Rawson's intriguing perceptions. This book promotes ideas and facilitates their coming to the reader through discussions of his seemingly infinite observations. Rawson was a brilliant art professor and brings amazing viewpoints to his readers. Ideas, after all, are the most important factor in creating works of art.



3. Every potter and vessel maker, every student and teacher of ceramics, every person interested in ceramics should read CERAMICS by Philip Rawson. In fact, you will want to own a copy of this book so you can re-read it and loan it to other people. (I received no compensation for that statement.) CERAMICS is an exceptional source for expanding your knowledge of and vocabulary for critically viewing, appreciating, discussing, and writing about ceramics.

   In CERAMICS, Philip Rawson, a prolific writer and art critic, gives a fascinating and lucid examination of the evolution and aesthetics of ceramic form. He states, "One of the prime reasons why ceramics is such an interesting art is that it fills the gap which now yawns between art and life as most people understand their relationship."(6) Rawson then introduces ideas critical to looking at and fully understanding ceramics such as the relationship of function to the origins of most ceramic forms and how that relationship affects our experience of ceramic objects. He also addresses the inherent attraction of a recognizable material transformed by the human hand into a new object with symbolic or metaphorical value.

   Following a comprehensive but concise overview of the techniques and processes involved in making ceramics, Rawson gives an in-depth discussion of how form, surface and design, combined with the ideas of transformation and forms' residual relationships to function, create meaning in pottery. Well-chosen photographs, illustrations, and vessel profiles accompany the text.

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!

3 comments about Delftware Tiles (Shire Library).

1. The paper back is done completely in black and white. How sad and frustrating not to be able to see the tiles in their original colour. I am really sorry I tried to save money by buying this cheap "booklet" (32 small 6"x8" pages) instead of splurging on the hardback, which is in colour. Content was fine and informative. Order placed May 31st with BoookZine not received 'til June 28th .



2. One of the more famous 'landscape' Dutch tiles shows a man in a small boat sailing away from the viewer, up the Issel or some other river in the Netherlands. The rounded end of his boat lifts out of the water as the wind billows the sails and tilts the craft. The river surface is slighly rippling in the gentle breeze. In the distance lays a town, perhaps Deventer. When I look at this tile I feel transported to a place and time long ago.

   The Dutch produced the greatest painters in the world, and many of their works hang in museums, or in private collections out of the reach of mere mortals. Sometimes something is so beautiful you want to own it, or at least possess it a short while. What to do? Buy a tile. Dutch tiles were frequently copied from paintings and like paintings they depict landscapes, interior domestic scenes, flowers (especially tulips), ships at sea and all sorts of wonderous things.

   Hans van Lemmen has compiled a nice overview of the history of Dutch tilemaking. He says it was natural for a people who had been occupied by the Spanish for a long time to have become aware of the 'Hispano-Moresque' tradition of tile making. But many other factors conspired to make tile making the "signature form of decorative art" of the Dutch. For one thing, the little country has many river banks and lots of clay. For another, during the 16th Century, many Flemish tile artisans moved to the Netherlands to set up shop and enjoy the expanding Dutch economy. Another major factor was the incredible growth of a middle class that wanted to tiles for home use.

   These uses included lining fire places, mantles, and the wall areas around them, as well as the areas where candles sat, in order to prevent house fires. The Dutch also lined their cellers to prevent water seeping into them. Areas exposed to much wear and tear, such as passageways, staircases, and doors were also covered with tiles. And, in a country where hygiene is a defining national characteristic tiles were important accessories in kitchens because they were easy to clean.

   van Lemmen covers about 400 years of tilemaking, with most of his emphasis on the "Golden Age" of the 16th-17th centuries. The book contains a nice balance of history and photographs of tiles and 'in situ' settings of Dutch tiles in the Netherlands and other parts of the world. This is a book for relative beginners, but beautiful enough for anyone who loves Dutch art.




3. Hans van Lemmen has put together a beautiful and very readablebook on Dutch tiles. "Delftware Tiles" is well researchedand lavishly illustrated with color photos of all kinds of Dutch tiles from the 16th century to the present. No Delft or tile collector's library is complete without this book. It's also a great coffee table book. The 32 page paperback is an earlier and completely different work by van Lemmen -- it's a good primer on Delftware tiles, but it's much smaller and all in black & white.