1 comments about The Collector's Encyclopedia of Majolica.

1. I am new to the wonderful world of Majolica. I was looking for some reference books to help me purchase quality pieces of Majolica on ebay without paying more than I should. I found The Collector's Encyclopedia of Majolica a good reference because of the approx. 180 pages of colorful pictures illustrating the various types of Majolica pottery available. This book includes a value guide for the pieces pictured in it with a few pages of general information. I gave it 3 stars because it is helpful in pricing certain items but does not give you alot of details about the history of the many companies that produced Majolica.

No comments about Instant Expert: Collecting American Dinnerware (Instant Expert).

No comments about 18th Century English Porcelain Figures 1745-1795.

1 comments about The Collector's Encyclopedia of Niloak: A Reference and Value Guide (Collector's Encyclopedia of Niloak).

1. After having looked at far too many of these books lately I wasn't expecting more than the usual workmanlike job-- well lit photographs of perfectly displayed examples of Niloak pottery, brief history of the pottery itself, usual pricing information. However, I have to say that this book was an unexpected surprise.
   
   It is well laid out as to the price guide-- the information is right next to the page with the photographs. The photographs are good. And there are a generous selection of photographs of the bottoms of pieces-- in other reviews I have talked about how the finish on a bottom of a piece of pottery is very helpful with identification.
   
   Bless this author though, he also provides information about look alikes-- companies that might have a connection with Niloak and who produced wares similar to Niloak and which might be, innocently or not, sold as Niloak. The popular Missionware is particularly susceptible to this. I was also happy because this information helped identify a miniature I had bought a couple of weeks back. He further discusses how to determine if a piece might have been reworked-- ground down to get past a chip or break, and how to determine if a label might have been attached to piece that originally had been unmarked. This is all excellent information that is not just applicable to Niloak.
   
   Very, very highly recommended.

No comments about Lost at Sea: The Strange Route of the Lena Shoal Junk (Periplus).

No comments about Moorcroft: A Guide to Moorcroft Pottery 1897-1993.

No comments about NEWS FROM A RADIANT FUTURE: Soviet Porcelain from the Collection of Craig H. and Kay A. Tuber.

3 comments about Pueblo Pottery Families: Acoma, Cochiti, Hopi, Isleta, Jemez, Laguna, Nambe, Picuris, Pojoaque, San Il San Juan, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo, Taos, Tesuque, Zia, Zuni.

1. The book provided insight into the relationships of the potters on the different pueblos. We like the book. It is inexpensive. We will have it available when we visit the different pueblos.



2. Unfortunately, this book promises a lot more than it delivers. For example, in its preface, it mentions several families of potters at Acoma named Lewis not related to Lucy Lewis, but they are not even mentioned. Even the section on the family of Lucy Lewis is barely 2 pages. The author for the most part barely skims the surface. I desperately wanted to like this book, but the more I read it, the more I saw was lacking. For one thing, it seriously needed a much better editor. It reads like a grade school student's social studies report, and it is filled with typos, the worst being that many of the photo captions are wrong because the photos were flipped and the captions were not corrected. A major disappointment for the price. Fortunately I bought it in paperback! It did have some good information, but it could have and should have had much more.



3. This book is an excellent resource if you are interested in collecting pottery from all peublos as well as a variety of families. Although not quite as in depth as Rick Dillingmham's Fourteen Families, she does mention many families that he does not.

No comments about Camille Faure: Limoges Art Deco Enamels.

No comments about Pottery & People (Foundations of Archaeological Inquiry).