5 comments about Collectors Guide to Made in Japan Ceramics: Identification & Values (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. While this line of books continues to give pictures and markings for research and collecting, the author seems to be running out of examples when there are so many out there he could include.



3. I purchased this book for the sole purpose of "Marks" identification. Sure there are pictures of marks, but none are identified. When I did a search to find books with oriental markings, this book was suggested. I was very disappointed ... pictures are great ... values appear too high. Enough said.



4. Great color photos, informative text and a section on Identification marks that is worth the price of the whole book! I'm buying books #2 and 3 !



5. Great color photos, informative text and a section on Identification marks that is worth the price of the whole book! I'm buying books #2 and 3 !

No comments about Warman's Rookwood Pottery: Identification and Price Guide (Warmans).

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!!!!!

3 comments about Shawnee Pottery: An Identification & Value Guide.

1. This is a very nice book for the Shawnee Pottery collector. Every collector should use every available resourse at there disposal prior to purchasing Shawnee Pottery because over 50% of the items listed as Shawnee on our favorite on line auction web site is a fake. The value guides are not much use in that they do change frequently, but the photos and descriptions are great. This is just one tool you can use prior to buying Shawnee Pottery.



2. Good pictures and descriptions and historical information, book was as new. Like most collector's guides, the values are somewhat inflated, but it is an excellent reference and well worth the price.



3. This is an excellent book. The Mangus' have put together an exhaustive reference on this collectible pottery. They cover everything! From planters to figurines, from bookends to cookie jars, from the design lines to the kitchenware, it's all here.

   They include an extensive history of the pottery and its people (owners, designers, employees). They detail the various production methods used to produce the wide variety of wares. They include a wonderful section of photos of the various paper labels used by Shawnee (they used few, if any, backstamps or marks, other than the common "USA".)

   My only quibble with this book (and it's a teeny tiny one) is that the prices shown are high in today's market. However, that's not the Mangus' fault, as it reflects the impact that online auctions have had on collectibles in all areas and markets. The bottom line is, if you're looking for a reference on this fun pottery, this is the book to buy!

1 comments about Contemporary Japanese Ceramics: Fired with Passion.

1. Chang, director of the Dai Ichi Arts gallery featuring Japanese ceramics, joins with the noted collector Lurie for an overview of Japanese ceramics from 1945 to the present organized by region. The dramatic, inventive ceramic works (most ceramic sculptures rather than utilitarian objects) are displayed in more than 200 color photographs varying from views of entire pieces filling a glossy page to close-ups of a few square inches capturing details of workmanship, design, and material. Each of the 45 artists from the six geographical areas is given a brief biographical profile which is followed by notes on the two to six ceramic art works of his shown. To each of the sections, Chang and Lurie also provide introductions focusing on their respective distinguishing styles and related historical and cultural information. General introductory material puts the relatively recent ceramic art in the broader Japanese tradition beginning many thousands of years ago and also notes four "Pioneers of Abstract Sculpture" who led up to the period of 1945 to the present which is the main topic. For its breadth and knowledgeable, succinct text, this work immediately becomes the leading guide to this relatively specialized field of ceramics.

2 comments about The Mad Potter of Biloxi: The Art and Life of George E. Ohr.

1. this man was a a head of his time. i have never seen anythig that has come out of the 1800's that looked any thing like this.The photography is great and the biography is good , but the pottery is the best i have ever seen he had great form and great glaze you could not ask any more from a potter



2. This book has marvelous images of just some of the fine works that George Ohr created. The summaries of his life are correct to some extent but it failed to provide any deatails of his offspring or how they may have carried on the innate artist abilities, this is why I only give it four stars.

2 comments about Yixing Pottery: The World of Chinese Tea Culture (Arts of China).

1. This book was not what I'd hoped for - which is a solid introduction to Yixing teapots. It concentrates on the history of Yixing teapots - and those that have been found in archaeological digs dating back to the Song Dynasty in China. Many of these ancient pots are illustrated in the book. There is some discussion on the qualities that make Yixing clay different from most other types of clay, but there is also much missing. The book doesn't illustrate examples of the differing colours available in the clay and never discusses famous clay types like Zhu Ni, which is so highly sought after by Yixing collectors.
   
   There is a fairly large section on ancient masters of the art and those of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It's just a shame that their chops or signatures - which are usually recorded on their pots are not included in the text. Also missing is information on the modern state of the Yixing industry and the mechanical way modern pots are mostly made.
   
   This is a rather basic and superficial look at Yixing pots and wares - but if you are after some biographical information on the most famous past masters or want to see illustrations on some very ancient Yixing pots then this book will be of interest to you.



2. This is a fairly little book that is packed with solid info and great pictures. I bought one for me and a second as a gift. I may have to get a couple more for other tea fans.

1 comments about Pottery in Archaeology (Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology).

1. orton and friends take the reader through all the aspects of the most common archaeological find: the pot sherd. at the end, you will know how to classify any random bit of ceramic you come across.

   the book is very well written; it's amazing how the rather dry subject comes alive. very much a "practical knowledge" sort of read.

   every serious dig should have one in their field house.

3 comments about Wood-Fired Stoneware and Porcelain.

1. After doing much searching and researching, I've found that this book, along with F. Olsen's "Kilns", is an excellent resouce for those of us who have spent much time working with kilns from a pedestrian level, but little time investigating the construction of them. Jack Troy's writing is clear and enjoyable and his knowledge obviously exhaustive. The first place to go if you are considering the merits of woodfired work.



2. "Wood-Fired Stoneware & Porcelain" is a great resource for potters interested in this alternative style of firing. The book contains substantial information on kiln design, clays, glazes, stacking, and firing wood kilns. Troy adds in details from his own considerable experience, and the photos and illustrations will make you anxious to get to the studio (or your local brick supplier...) The only drawback is that the majority of the photos are in b&w; however, the color plates that are included are great. A nice historical section, and lots of work by and info on contemporary potters. Most likely a good book to have on the shelf, and a great companion to his book on Salt-Glaze.



3. Jack Troy is a very good and entusiastic writer. This new book is very much worth it's price and if you can get your hands at the old one, Salt Glazed Ceramics, that is a trofee.