Ceramics Books and Magazines

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Yet another book on American Art Pottery? Give me a break!   March 20, 2002
 33 out of 34 found this review helpful

Yet another book on American Art Pottery? Give me a break!

And thatOs exactly what the authors here have done. TheyOve given us a break. Given us entree to insights and opinions formed from their handling and viewing more than 100,000 pots and tiles over some 30 years. And theyOve done it in a refreshingly readable, yet authoritative style.

This work is aimed at the less experienced collector as well as those of us who will admit to still having a few things to learn. Whether new to the game or an old hand, if you love pottery, but your experience doesnOt quite stack up to that of the authors, we think youOll find this a helpful -- and very enjoyable -- addition to your antiques library.

Longtime art pottery aficionados, dealers, auctioneers and, for the past five years, appraisers for the "Antiques Road Show," authors David Rago and Suzanne Perrault have taken a leaf from Albert SackOs popular "Fine Points of American Furniture" to give us a look at "Good" and "Better" pieces from 43 American art potteries, from the popular and ubiquitous like Roseville -- to the relatively obscure like Walley.

Using a reader-friendly format, they present, for each pottery, a Good and Better example on facing pages, together with a value range for each -- 60 such combinations in all. Then, for each piece, they highlight and analyze the key features that distinguish it from its neighbor and tell us why they value one more highly than the other.

You may argue with some of the cited prices which they readily admit reflect their own biases, to wit, "I like Grueby more than WheatleyEand I like Weller less than Roseville" but youOll find the careful and thoughtful analyses nonetheless interesting and helpful. The prevailing biases of other collectors as regards their attitudes toward the effect on value of damage, one pottery vs. another, are but one example.

Encompassing 124 pages, this comparison section alone is more than well worth the price of admission. But the sections on Understanding the Market and An American Art Potteries Primer are equally helpful, as a learning experience for newer collectors, and a thoughtful refresher for those whoOve been to Zanesville more times than they care to tell.

Few antiques authors manage the authoritative and colloquial with such ease and aplomb, and to such enjoyable effect. It is in these sections where that effect is most evident.

Here weOre helped to understand and make sense of a market where, from 1975 to 2000, an 8" Rookwood Standard glaze, floral decorated vase increased in value by 450%, while a similarly sized and decorated Iris glaze vase soared by more than 1600%. And here weOre provided a thoughtful analysis (though not without bias) of the essential elements which serve to distinguish the producers and the products of the Ohio Valley, New England, the South and California.

The one fault we found is in the brief section on How to Clean a Pot. Recommended is soaking "for at least 24 hours in a bucket of very hot tap water to which is added a cup of sudsing ammonia and at least a half a cup of Spic and Span. After the soak, remove the pot and soak for at least another 24 hours in clean hot tap water." Perhaps inadvertently deleted in editing is any caveat restricting this approach, at best, to non-porous pots. DO NOT try this on porous pots like Peters & Reed Moss Aztec -- or cracked or crazed pots.

With only slight and otherwise forgivable puffery, the book jacket heralds this as "a master class in appraising art pottery." And a "master class" it may be. But as anyone whoOs earned and gone forward with a "masterOs" will attest, you have to get your hands dirty before it pays off. "The best you can do," say the authors, "is to learn enough about pottery to form your own biasesE learn to appreciate the beauty of the objects, and integrate the history that fueled the kilnsE(and) Allow the works of these great potteries to enter your life and delight your soulE" as they have quite obviously done for the authors.

And take this book along.


A book for the ages!   June 19, 1999
 31 out of 53 found this review helpful

David Rago knows his subject to the point of having no need for reference books or any other source for information. This title reflects years of knowledge accrued through ongoing study. Thank you David Rago for sharing your knowledge with us!


A must have for arts and crafts enthusiasts!   August 30, 1998
 32 out of 39 found this review helpful

This book is not only a great source for reference, it also details the most important aspects of the art pottery movement (with great photographs as examples!).