This book is a good start, and briefly covers almost all aspects of making, glazing, and firing ceramics. The problem is the layout style and large print means that it never really goes into enough detail about any of the subjects it covers. A good example is the fact that the "resources" at the back of the book contains Three charts over two pages. I bought this book when I purchased a kiln to expand my business into ceramic fabrication. Having read this book, I certainly do not feel prepared to use my kiln yet. Had The book been titled "An Introduction to Ceramics" or something like that, I would feel it accurately describes the contents.