4 comments about Glazes from Natural Sources.

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.

1 comments about Children, Clay, And Sculpture.

1. This book is extremely useful for classroom teachers and homeschooling families alike. It slowly and thoroughly works through the progression of skills from first using clay to creating finished sculpture. The chapters include information for teaching the skills, multiple examples of professional artwork that can be studied to view the technique at hand, tons of pictures of student work with the age of the student identified (very helpful for knowing how to set your expectations at a realistic level) and every chapter includes free exploration ideas as well as specific exercises.
   
   Chapters:
   
   Before You Begin
   Explorations
   Making Sculpture
   Sculpting in Relief
   Animals
   Heads and Faces
   Figures
   Improving Sculptures
   Finishing and Displaying Sculpture
   
   I have taken classes with Cathy Topal; she teaches in the Education department at Smith College, helping prospective teachers learn how to teach art. The care and attention she has taken to laying out the exercises in this book clearly reflect this experience - she can think both like an experienced teacher of art and like a mentor to new teachers. This book is a valuable purchase for any art teacher or homeschool family and can be used with students from age 4 to high school level. It will grow with your child and can be used over and over to explore topics in more depth in subsequent years. I give it my very highest recommendation.

2 comments about Warman's Hull Pottery: Identification and Value Guide (Warman's Hull Pottery: Identification & Value Guide).

1. I just love Hull pottery so I was excited to receive my book. I couldn't wait to look up some pieces I had when it came. I received the book in a few days as promised. Excellent service!!!



2. Great addition to my resource library for Hull Pottery. Must have if you are thinking about collection Hull Pottery and a must have if you will be sell Hull Pottery.

No comments about Twenty 2.

2 comments about Teach Me Too!.

1. This is one of those books where the author couldn't care less about lesbians, but the publisher realizes that girls-loving-girls sells, so they put three nude women intertwined together on the cover despite the fact that there are very FEW lesbian scenes in this book! I CALL THAT FALSE ADVERTISING! I was very disappointed as a result! It's an illustrated book largely filled with drawings of guys with their genitalia hanging out. Not erotic or even interesting. Why can't they be honest and make that clear on their cover picture? Answer: Because they want to sell to gullible people like myself.
   
   THE COVER PICTURE IS THE BEST PART OF THIS BOOK!!!



2. This book only has seventy-two pages, but they are all eye-openers. Very, how shall I say this, informative, that's how I'll say it, informative. As you know there is more than one way to do it and it's possible to do it with more than one person, even at the same time. It's all here, in this delightfully outrageous animated, cartoon-type, picture book that now has a prominent position on my coffee table.
   
   And what a converstation piece this book is. Friends come over, we talk, maybe have coffee, or a glass of wine if it's after 5:00 or so. Their eyes will drift to the book, but, of course, they don't mention it. However, if I leave the room, you know, like if I have to go to the bathroom, or if I go out to the kitchen to get some more wine, well, faster than you can say fast, they have this book up and in their hands, leaving through the pages faster than the speed of light. Then they go through it again, slower. Then I come back, catch them with the book in their hands, `cuz they can't put it down and we talk. Some very interesting conversations, let me tell you.

4 comments about Sensual Distress - Art of Steve O. Reno.

1. Steve Reno certainly has talent, and he likes drawing pretty women in dangerous settings. But are his drawings erotic? Well, some of them certainly are. By my count there are 67 drawings in this book. I divided Reno's illustrations into three different quality categories: Excellent, Average, and Weak. I rated 15 of his drawings as Excellent, 27 as Average, and 25 as Weak.
   
   On the positive side, I liked the "women as playthings" motif, I enjoyed most of the bondage drawings, and I especially loved the handful of illustrations of girls with other girls.
   
   On the negative side, there were way too many tentacles involved, also too many machines. Also, if the girls appears to be about to be drowning or stuff like that, I simply didn't find it erotic.
   
   Overall, a fairly good effort, at least in my opinion.



2. Reno's artwork is outstanding! This book had pieces that invoked humor and passion.
   
   And great addition to anyones collection.



3. Damsels in distress? No! How about Sensual Distress, the latest hot collection of art from Sal Quartuccio Productions. Their latest release presents the art of Steve Reno, 64 pages of playful pinups especially geared towards the bondage/fetish fan. The Reno woman is beautiful, busty, and always seemingly has a wide-eyed look of shock and surprise on her face, as she is caught up in the most...distressful situations!
   
   All of Steve's pieces are titled which is nice, especially when one is trying to do a review. Steve first takes fans on a tour of sensual distress through the ages with images that have come to exemplify eras of film and popular culture. The first with showing a girl about to be sawed in half by a dastardly, handlebar mustached villain. "Cliffhanger" gives us a scene straight out of 1940's B-Movie serials as the lovely heroine is tossed from a cliff, her hands and feet bound tightly. The 1950's piece is all about giant monsters and evil aliens, binding these poor girls in their sinewy webs. The 1980's gives us Reno's take on the video game Dragon's Lair with his love girl about to be eaten by the scaly terror.
   
   From there we get a variety of different illustrations from the terrifying to the hilarious. Reptiles and octopus-like creatures play a prime role as monsters of choice in Steve's work. Their tentacles are often found binding and probing their beautiful subjects. "island Sacrifice" finds a buxom topless girl tied to a palm tree as tentacles rise out of the sea to embrace her. "Collecting Figures" find doll-like subjects being tape to title cards by their collector. "Steve-O-Reno's Vibe-O-Rama" is one of the provocative pieces as a bound, blonde Goddess is surrounded by all manner and shape of mechanical-armed vibrators. "Floor Models" features a man looking at half dozen tied up women as he tries to decide which one he wants to take home.
   
   This is just a fun, sexy book. 64 pages with black & white interior art and color covers. This is women objectified in the most sensual manner!
   
   REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON



4. At times, indeed, the world seems aflame and in the midst of a cultural war. Sanctimonious religious authorities and would-be moral police of various ilk would have us all in sackcloth with blindfolds if they had their way. In this war, I for one, am delighted to be on side that welcomes expressions of eroticism, free speech and kinky pencil drawings. Steve O draws women who end up looking even better than those in my head (and I have a pretty damn good imagination). His clever and often tongue-in-cheek perils are wonderfully rendered and beautifully composed. Ye Who Enter: Abandon All Political Correctness ... but plan on having a great time with this one. It's a keeper.

2 comments about Artist Trading Cards (Twenty to Make).

1. This is a nice little ATC book, especially for a beginner like me. I was happy with the variety included. Not just a lot of clip art and collage sheet images, many other possibilities are included instead.



2. I like the concept of explaining a particular technique, then showing how the same technique was used to make several different ATCs. Instructions are clear and artwork examples are beautiful and inspiring. Some materials may be difficult for some readers to purchase, however.

1 comments about Warman's Carnival Glass: Identification and Price Guide (Warman's Carnival Glass: Identification & Price Guide).

1. Great Book. Studied it in the library and decided I just had to have a copy. Very informative.

5 comments about Pottery on the Wheel.

1. The book arrived fast, in excellent condition, and as advertised. Julie also promptly answered some questions I had regarding the sale. Great transaction!



2. I bought this book 25 years ago when I started pottery and my well-thumbed copy is an important part of my studio. I'm a Canadian potting in Japan and though most of my students are non-English users, the photographs in this book speak thousands of words. It is laid out logically and the cross-section cuts of the whole process from entering the centered clay to finished work are everything a student or teacher could want in an instructional book. I was very pleasantly surprised to discover it is still available and my student is looking forward to having her own copy.



3. As someone who has just started to learn pottery in a class, this book gives detailed information that your teacher may not provide. Even if you are learning by yourself the step by step (very detailed) lessons by themselves gives the beginner good and easy to understand steps for success! Lots of great pictures too.



4. I bought this book for my wife who had just finished ten weeks of throwing lessons. She read the book and was able to improve her work in just a few practice sessions. She is so pleased with her new knowledge and skill. The fine detail and the pictures of sectioned pots were easy to follow. The accompaning text was clear and the summeries allow for quick reference.

   We can only recommend this fine book to anyone that wants to improve their skill.




5. The text is detailed, but easy to understand and the pictures do an excellent job of reinforcing the concept. I have been throwing for about a year, but reached a point where I was "stuck" and couldn't seem to move forward. After only ONE day of using the techniques in this book, I was able to double the amount of clay I could successfully throw and the results were better than anything I had previously produced. This is the best book there is on throwing.

3 comments about Fostoria American Line 2056 (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. Book was in pristine condition and helped me find what I was missing from this pattern



2. Fostoria AAmerican Line 2056 is a real neat book and I have really enjoyed looking it over for the idea of finding the pieces that I have and looking for additional pieces and the price listed for the pieces is a real help.
   The pictures are fantastic and the descriptions are good. I only wish that I knew how to measure the pieces of glass to match their measurements.It's great to have the individuals to share by allowing photographs of their collections to help us beginners. Such treasures!Thanks for a job well done to the author, Leslie Pina, Ohio.



3. This book is wonderful to look at and browse through! It has a great deal of information and MANY full color pictures. It is a delight to be able to see so many well photographed pieces in one volume. The price ranges are listed right with the picture and descriptions, so it is a quick and easy reference. This is a good book for those that are in search of a moderately priced volume for their personal reference, as well as for the dealer.

   Note: the author, Leslie Pina, has many other volumes on glass that may be of interest to you.