5 comments about Collectors Encyclopedia of Hall China.

1. A lady I know worked in Halls china in East Liverpool Ohio, she loves looking at the book and telling stories about the plant and the time she worked there. She has a lot of the china and I find myself collecting it. This book is a great help, and I am very thankful to have found it.



2. This is a must have for Hall China enthusiasts. The format is clear and easy to follow. There is so much great information with pictures and pricing info. for a wide variety of Hall China pieces. I carry the book with me whenever I am shopping at Antique Stores looking for Hall China.



3. The edition is as complete a guide for the mian lines of Hall China as you can probably find, however I think the photo layout and quality were better int he previous version.



4. The Whitmyers obviously worked for years and simply produced "The Informative Reference" to the wonderful Hall China Company and its long production of products. If you love Hall China, this is the book that you HAVE to have in your library. Packed with facts, photos, information found nowhere else but in this volume. Through the help of dealers, collectors and friends; they were able to show Hall's artistry and employee craftsmanship at its finest.
   The color photos pop from the pages as the digital up-to-date photo process allows for this volume. It is so wonderful to see so much Hall China and accessories one might never have a chance to see otherwise if it were not included in this book. Hats off to the Whitmyers and all those who allowed them to photograph such fabulous collections.



5. This is one of the best collector reference books I have ever seen. It is laid out in an easy to read and refer format and the pictures are fantastic. It contains well over 100 pages on teapots alone. Descriptions are clear, interesting and well written.

   This is a perfect addition to the Hall China or teapot collector's library.

3 comments about Warman's Weller Pottery: Identification and Price Guide (Warmans).

1. I knew absolutely nothing about Weller Pottery before I read this book, and now I feel very confident both in making purchases and selling them. Very well-organized, thorough and easy to follow. I wish they had included more photos of pieces from some of the lesser known Weller lines, but it is possible that they were just not available. I am going to buy the Ragos' other pottery books for reference and I would highly recommend this book!



2. This is an excellent book with succinct reviews and information concerning most all of the Weller lines. I especially liked the writer's opinions of the current popularity of various Weller lines. This is good if you are seeking to invest or resell items. Prices are current, but a real collector will pay whatever price is needed to add that unusual piece to their collection. This is one book I wish I had had at the beginning of my collecting and found useful now as well. Much better than some of those dictionaries out there, but the wise collector needs both to increase their knowledge and expertise in buying. The pictures are some of the best and great text. Great price. I recommend this book.



3. I recently purchased a piece of Weller. I was glad to find a new resource guide with information and prices. Good variety of photos.

No comments about Price Guide to Holt-Howard Collectibles and Related Ceramicware of the 50s & 60s.

No comments about The World of Wade Whimsies.

4 comments about Warman's Roseville Pottery: Identification and Price Guide (Warman's Roseville Pottery: Identification & Price Guide).

1. The book states it is a price guide. The author had pictures of as many as 9 pieces being auctioned and vague discriptions of some with chips. Another example is a Donatello jardiniere (with chip repair) & pedestal $180-$220. A picture of a Donatello bud vase on the same page just over 6" is listed at $180-$220.Yet another jardinier on the same page (smaller than the one that includes the pedestal with a rim chip is $200-$250.Auction prices for multiple pieces & damaged items need to be kept separate.



2. I am not happy with my recent purchase of Warman's Roseville book. It does not provide a complete listing of suggested prices and many of the pictured pieces are described with damage along with a price. For example, hanging basket with "chip on handle." For a serious collector the book is not of much use and for the inexperienced collector the book is misleading--damaged pieces do not sell for anything close to what mint pieces sell for.



3. Great book for a quick overview on Roseville pottery, the different patterns and price ranges. Not a complete book but a good quick reference for those just starting to collect.



4. Though by no means a complete showing of every shape made for each design, it IS a very generous sampling of each design, with beautiful studio photographs cover to cover. That makes it a must-have for any Roseville lover- none of the ugly black and white catalogue page reprints. NOT so great for pricing information. The pieces are priced with their existing blemishes, which would make a perfect piece of the same design worth ?? how much ?? Also has price listed for the whole set, if the photo includes more than one piece. That is just not helpful when you want to put a value on one piece.
   If not for the vague pricing information, I would rate this 5 stars- especially compared to other Roseville guides. Very helpful visuals in this one!

4 comments about The Collector's Ultimate Encyclopedia Of Hull Pottery: Identification and Values (Collector Ultimate Encyclopedia).

1. This is a wonderful addition if you are a collector of Hull Potter. Good information on the Hull Potter Company, as well a being easy to use, if you are a collector this is a must!!!



2. I found the book to be beautiful. Many photos, items with valuations. Many Little Red Riding Hood items



3. I've just begun collecting pottery and basically didn't have a clue to what I was doing. I've purchased three different kind of encyclopedia books for pottery and the Hull Pottery I would have to pick as the best for details, pictures and prices.



4. This is the best most comprehensive book I have seen. I love it!

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.

1 comments about Warman's Rookwood Pottery: Identification and Price Guide (Warmans).

1. Some great information about Rookwood marks and dating, but of course no pictures. Why are there never pictures of marks or artist signatures? Is it some copyright thing? Do the experts not want to give us too much information?
   
   Well done section on the history of Rookwood. Each additional section lays out a different finish or line and includes some good background information. The book offers lots of photos of each finish but the photos look really bad. I don't know if the photos were taken for the book or gathered from various sources. If the image doesn't have horrible glare, it's too dark to make out some of the details. I've seen better photos on eBay. Maybe they couldn't use a light tent to photograph the pottery, but certainly they could of used more diffusion.
   
   It's really a shame the photos aren't better. This could have been the best Rookwood book to date.

3 comments about Painting the Maya Universe: Royal Ceramics of the Classic Period (Duke University Museum of Art).

1. As anyone who owns books on the ancient Maya will probably attest, they have a habit of becoming out of date rather rapidly; yesterday's Copan is today's Xukpi and yesterday's King 18-Rabbit is today's Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a good thing. Unlike the vast body of scholarship that Egyptologists can only hope to add a sentence to here or a footnote to there, Mayanists are faced with a field where every turn of the spade yields material that is likely to keep them busy for decades. That is the exciting thing about Mayan studies; every year sees yet more exciting discoveries by both "dirt" archeologists and by "armchair" or more correctly "keyboard" scholars. Every new book on the Maya is welcome and if they are as well written and lavishly illustrated as this one, they are doubly welcome.



2. I've read much of what has been written about Mayan ceramics and can say with confidence that this is the best book on the subject ever written. The essays in it, by top professionals, discuss the forms and functions of the ceramics, the meaning of their calligraphy, their basic themes and the places particular styles of ceramics come from. Indeed, if you read it carefully and more than once, you too will be able to decipher the principal inscriptions even on pots that are not in the book. There are hundreds of full-color photographs of Mayan ceramic vases and plates in this book. These vases are decorated with pictures of formed the greatest Pre-Columbian civilization. These ceramics depict Mayan textile design, Mayan hair-dressing, Mayan head-dresses, Mayan ceramics (within the ceramic paintings), Mayan concepts of design and of the other worlds below this one. From them we learn of Mayan myth,Mayan ritual, Mayan daily life, and Mayan art. Leaving aside the great monumental art of sculpture and stucco that adorned major structures, leaving aside the structures themselves, and giving credit for a host of varieties of artistic representations ranging from the Tsimshian to the Moche... I think it is an absolute fact that the art that appears on Mayan ceramics is the best that America ever created prior to Columbus and arguably the best... period. This book discusses, describes, depicts and defends that incredible artistic legacy better than any other ever did.



3. This handsome book covers a wide range of Maya ceramic imagery, and is filled with stunning photographs. The imagery is also broken down by catagory, and is supplimented with explations of glyphs. The accessible text that explores the mythology, culture, iconography, and hieroglyphics on and related to the ceramics. The information is thorough without being overly specialized.

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

1. Shawnee Pottery: An Identification & Value Guide
   
   THIS BOOK IS EXCELLENT, IN PROPERLY INDENTIFYING SHAWNEE PIECES OF POTTERY, WITH EACH PATTERN CLEARLY DEFINED AND IN COLOR. GREAT BOOK



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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!