No comments about Jewelry manufacture and repair.

No comments about Al Taylor: Drawings.

4 comments about Glazes from Natural Sources: A Working Handbook for Potters.

1. I am a self taught potter who is still very much a student when it comes to the craft. I have read a great many books on the subject and this one is very well done. It is packed with solid and useful information. It is a great technical book on any form of glaze testing, it only focuses on natural sources.
   
   I gave it 4 of 5 stars for a few reasons.
   
   It was a little difficult to understand in places and I wanted more examples. It does a good job of spelling things out for the reader, but it could have gone further I think.
   
   Also, I wish the examples were in metric units, (ml instead of pints) because I find those easier to understand, but that could just be me.
   
   I wanted many more photos of line blend tests! I'd have loved to see what kinds of things to expect and what the outcome is likely to be. Some rocks and common blends are bound to be fairly typical. I wanted to see pictures of those. Some more insight on what to blend with what when testing would have been good as well. Do I mix my rock with clay or whiting? I know I can try it and see, but some expert suggestions are always nice.
   
   Some of the more complex blending patterns seemed to be a bit silly, like the author was showing off somewhat and I found them difficult to understand.
   
   I have always mixed my glazes dry, but the author suggests it is better do mix them wet, having each material suspended in water to start with. I had many questions about this method that were not addressed in the book, but many that were. It was informative enough to prompt me to try it.
   
   Over all, this is a great book on the subject and a great book for anyone interested in glaze development. It doesn't have much needless text, which is nice. Short and too the point.



2. This book has lots and lots of excellent information as well as handy hints. If you want to start using found materials in your glazes, buy this book.



3. First the cons: this book is beautifully printed, but the editing could definitely use some work. It has several typographic errors that should have been caught. The writing is also occasionally stilted, and it could be a little more organized.
   
   That said, this is an excellent book, especially for potters and students who are interested in using local materials in their glazes but don't really know where to begin. It is thorough, and provides not only the basics (ie., how to do line-blends), but also information on calculating a material's specific gravity, Seger/unity formulas, building your own ball mill, and more.
   
   A recommended read for potters and students wanting to know more about glazes.



4. First of all, I'd better point out that I am one of the author's sons. But as such, I know that this book was never written as a big commercial venture but as an attempt to record the wealth of information that my father had accrued through years of practical work in the studio.
   When Glazes From Natural Sources was first published in 1987, it was rightly considered a classic textbook by leading potters and colleges alike on the science and practical techniques of producing one's own glazes.
   Before his death in 1998, the author had been working on a new edition of the book, updated with a fresh design and packed with many new colour illustrations, for leading craft publishers Adam & Charles Black.
   The revised second edition was published in early 2006 in the UK. An exciting development is that glaze guru Nigel Wood has written an extensive introduction to glaze-making as an additional chapter for this new edition.

2 comments about Greek Sculpture its Spirit and its Principles (Temporis).

1. This is a superb book and is ideal for anyone interested not only in art and Greece, but in life itself.
   
   Literally every page is gifted with sharp and detailed images of sculptures ranging between and the seventh and the first centuries B.C.
   
   The book and images are printed in more of a flat matt finish which I like as against high gloss colour which others may prefer.
   
   In its centre is a magnificent two page spread of one of my favourite figures - the marble 'Dying Warrior' originally of Temple of Aphaia in Ageina 500 -480 B.C
   
   Even though I haven't read the entire book, from what I have read so far, the author does go into detail about the different techniques, styles, compositions and even intriguing details like how Myron and Pythagoras worked exclusively in the nude.
   
   As you joyously move from page to page you get the feeling that the Ancient Greeks had to be touched by something special to be able achieve and produce what is presented in this book.



2. I just came back from Greece and saw live sculptures and this book does an excellent job of bringing the sculptures on the pages to life. Makes you feel like you're right there. A visual pleasure and very informative.

1 comments about Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens.

1. "Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens" is a large-format book which catalogues 800 ancient Greek sculptures on display in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. The catalogue proper is prefaced by a 30-page introduction to the chronological development of Greek sculpture, and by 30 full-color, full-page photographs of some of the museum's best-known pieces. Remaining photographs, in the catalogue itself, are in black-and-white.

   The catalogue describes the museum's 800 displayed sculptural holdings (as with all museums, many more, of course, are not on display) in chronological order. Within each given time-period (the Mature Archaic, for example), catalogue entries are further grouped by category into sculptures in the round, grave reliefs, votive reliefs, and other reliefs. This scheme is a welcome change from the haphazard organization (e.g. by acquisition number) which used to confront the professional researcher.

   Individual catalogue entries are printed in a blessedly uniform format: catalogue number, popular title, museum inventory number, material, find-spot, dimensions, physical description, assigned date, photograph, and -- another great boon to the researcher -- bibliography, that is, a listing of scholarly articles that discuss that particular sculpture.

   Black-and-white photographs, many of them archival, identify individual sculptures. They are printed with admirable clarity. Typical sizes range from 2" x 4" through 6" by 10". Only 84% (670 of the 800) catalogue entries are photographed; rationale for the many omissions is not discussed in the book, but I assume it has something to do with monetary considerations + the fragmentary or damaged nature of the omitted sculptures.

   The physical description of all catalogued sculptures includes damage/restoration, paint remnants, visible details of costume, and even the scientific identification of specific muscle groups. As someone who reads this stuff for fun, and who has read every word of this catalogue, I can testify that its printed descriptions are highly accurate, and closely match the visible photographic evidence.

   I hope that I have written enough to show that this catalogue is an invaluable professional resource, hence my five-star rating of it. This is not at all a "coffee-table" book for the general reader.

   In closing I would like to acknowledge Dr. David Hardy, who has produced a wonderfully clear and idiomatic English translation. He has set a standard, of fluency combined with accuracy, which any translator in the future can only hope to emulate.

No comments about Paper into Pots and Other Fun Objects Using Hand-Made Recycled Paper and Papier-Mache Techniques.

No comments about Bird Carving Basics: How to Compete (Bird Carving Basics).

2 comments about Allan Houser: An American Master (Chiricahua Apache, 1914-1994).

1. Outstanding documentation of the art forms created by Allan Houser. A reference treasure



2. This book is both beautiful and informative. It is richly illustrated with the works of this great painter and sculptor. Moreover, the text recounts Allan Houser's remarkable life, interspersed with a history of the evolution of Native American art. One does not have to be conversant with the art world to benefit from this book. Everyone should be inspired by the story of Allan Houser, the child of parents who were Chiricahua Apaches, held as prisioners of war by the United States for more than twenty years. After leaving the family farm in Oklahoma to pursue his dream of becoming an artist, Allan Houser achieved international acclaim while remaining true to his Apache heritage. You will want to read his story, and you will want to see his works.

No comments about Ephemeral Bodies: Wax Sculpture and the Human Figure (Getty).

1 comments about South Italian vase painting.

1. This book is concise and pithy. It is an exellent beginning point for the study of Italiote vase painting.