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'Beautifully illustrated.'The Times Christmas Books Selection. 'A wonderful new book... by the presiding genius of modern studio ceramics, Edmund de Waal. ...a treasure house containing over 300 beautiful full-page plates.' Royal Academy Magazine. 'This book is like an installation where the arrangement of illustrations makes the reader look with surprised attentiveness.' Victoria and Albert Magazine.
Product Description
The history of ceramic art is ingrained in the history of mankind. Clay is one of the very first materials 'invented' by man. An essential part of our lives it has been moulded, thrown, glazed, decorated and fired for over 30,000 years in order to preserve and transport food and water. And it was on the surface of these early jugs, vases, dishes, plates, beakers and amphorae that man placed some of his first decorative markings. In more recent times clay has been used not just by artisans and potters, but also by artists, designers and architects. The Pot Book is the first publication to document the extraordinary range and variety of ceramic vessels of all periods, from a delicate bowl made by an unnamed artisan in China in the third millennium bc, or a jug made in eighteenth-century Dresden, to a plate made by Picasso in 1952, a 'spade form' made by Hans Coper or the vases of Grayson Perry today. Each entry is sequenced in alphabetical order by the name of the artist/potter, the school, or style, creating a grand tour through the very finest examples of the artform.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The product description doesn't really do justice to The Pot Book. This is a huge, heavy book, and beautifully printed. If you plan to use it as a coffee table book, be sure to choose a sturdy coffee table.
Each of the first 300 or so pages consists of one large colour photograph (roughly 18 x 20 centimetres), usually of a single pot. Below each picture is a brief description of the pot and the potter, with cross-references to others who have influenced or been influenced by him/her. There is a fuller account of the pot and/or the potter alongside.
The contents are arranged alphabetically, and include a taste of every potting age from the ancient to the modern. Many of the pages concentrate on one potter, while others deal with periods, styles or materials - so there is a page for Majolica (cross-referenced to Albarello, Delftware and Luca della Robbia) and perhaps more surprisingly, a page for Cornish Kitchen Ware (cross-referenced to Carter Stabler Adams, Leeds and Midwinter). Following the cross-references can take you on a potting journey - for example, from Cornish Kitchen Ware to Leeds, and from Leeds to Christopher Dresser and the Elers Brothers, while the Elers Brothers page points you to Kirsten Coelho and John Dwight.
Of course there are "only" just over 300 pages, so you might find that Edmund de Waal hasn't picked your favourite person/period/style. For instance, I'm pleased that Luca della Robbia has an entry, but mildly disappointed that the (English) Della Robbia Pottery is missing. And if I were being very pernickety, I'd say that the balance between ancient and modern is a tad too much in favour of the modern for my taste. Nevertheless there are plenty of names I know among the three hundred, and lots of names I'm looking forward to learning about.
The remaining fifteen pages consist of pictures showing potters at work, a glossary of terms and styles, and a comprehensive index, but I could live without those - all I really need is the encyclopaedia of amazing pots and their stories.
Each of the first 300 or so pages consists of one large colour photograph (roughly 18 x 20 centimetres), usually of a single pot. Below each picture is a brief description of the pot and the potter, with cross-references to others who have influenced or been influenced by him/her. There is a fuller account of the pot and/or the potter alongside.
The contents are arranged alphabetically, and include a taste of every potting age from the ancient to the modern. Many of the pages concentrate on one potter, while others deal with periods, styles or materials - so there is a page for Majolica (cross-referenced to Albarello, Delftware and Luca della Robbia) and perhaps more surprisingly, a page for Cornish Kitchen Ware (cross-referenced to Carter Stabler Adams, Leeds and Midwinter). Following the cross-references can take you on a potting journey - for example, from Cornish Kitchen Ware to Leeds, and from Leeds to Christopher Dresser and the Elers Brothers, while the Elers Brothers page points you to Kirsten Coelho and John Dwight.
Of course there are "only" just over 300 pages, so you might find that Edmund de Waal hasn't picked your favourite person/period/style. For instance, I'm pleased that Luca della Robbia has an entry, but mildly disappointed that the (English) Della Robbia Pottery is missing. And if I were being very pernickety, I'd say that the balance between ancient and modern is a tad too much in favour of the modern for my taste. Nevertheless there are plenty of names I know among the three hundred, and lots of names I'm looking forward to learning about.
The remaining fifteen pages consist of pictures showing potters at work, a glossary of terms and styles, and a comprehensive index, but I could live without those - all I really need is the encyclopaedia of amazing pots and their stories.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
My husband has been a professional potter since 1970 and has always admired the work of other craftsmen. I have purchased this book as a Christmas present for him and having browsed through it I know it is going to give him hours of pleasure looking at beautiful work by many well-known potters. He is still making pots at the age of 76 and it is a true saying that old potters never retire!! Edmund De Waal has produced this beautiful volume for everyone who is interested in ceramics and I think it will be greatly treasured by those who buy it.
Ann Bean, Helston, Cornwall
Ann Bean, Helston, Cornwall
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Just wonderful for dipping in to any time though it could be hard not to keep turning the pages from beginning to end!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
the pot book
It is a beautiful book, the photography is excellent and the information given about each item is fascinating
and illuminating. Read more
and illuminating. Read more
Published 1 month ago by sherwood
You know what I'm saying?
A lot of people want to call me a rapper, but I'm a weed rapper, you know what I'm saying? I'm going to talk about weed. Read more
Published 3 months ago by wendy jones
excellent for pottery lovers
this is a great book for pottery appreciation, with some great ideas and illustrations. one of the best pottery books out there.
Published 4 months ago by B. Donohoe
The wide world of pots by a master potter
From a major contemporary potter, and one most recently revealed as a best selling family memoirist, now comes an enormous, beautiful anthology of the huge variety of objects from... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Chris
The Pot Book
A beautiful and interesting book for anyone who likes pots. Connects to The Hare with the Amber Eyes (same author)
Published 5 months ago by Mrs. Ann Warner Casson
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