The Glass Industry in South Boston [Hardcover]

Joan E. Kaiser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 12, 2010

After painstaking research (with the help of the Big Dig), renowned appraiser Joan E. Kaiser has created the most detailed and accurate historical narrative of and guide to the glass factories of South Boston. The furnaces of South Boston far exceeded in number the well-known and well-researched Sandwich glass factories. Due in part to the destruction of business records in the great Boston fire of 1872, however, these factories were largely forgotten or their history misunderstood, with their products conflated with those of other nineteenth-century New England glass manufacturers. Detailing the history and output of more than twenty-five flint glass, bottle glass, and window glass companies from 1811 to the end of the century, Kaiser provides collectors with the most complete pictorial guide to the glass of South Boston now available on the market. With a foreword by J. Garrison Stradling, this lavishly illustrated volume is both a fascinating history and an absolute necessity for museums, auction houses, and serious collectors of early American glassware.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Documenting more than twenty-five companies involved in the South Boston glass industry, including the Mount Washington Glass Company, the Phoenix Glass Works, and the Boston Glass Manufactory, Kaiser carefully reconstructs the history of these furnaces and presents a comprehensive view of the glass business in the early 19th century. An illustrated guide based on the known surviving examples of South Boston glass-- drawn from private collections, museums, and the antiques market-- is also included, presenting myriad colored and colorless glass objects, ranging from lamps and candlesticks to decanters and tumblers. For the serious scholar or collector of early American glass, The Glass Industry in South Boston is an abundant trove."--The Magazine Antiques

"The Glass Industry in South Boston may not be in everyone's wheelhouse, but it is an immense account of an all-but-forgotten chapter of this great city's history and a sine qua non for serious glass collectors, appraisers and sticklers for incredible detail. "--The Weekly Dig

"The Glass Industry in South Boston is an enriching and engrossing look at a remarkable region for production of 19th century glass. . . . [It] delightfully details the history and manufacturing result of more than 25 flint glass, bottle glass, and window glass companies from 1811 to the end of the 19th century."--Country Pleasures Magazine

"Ms. Kaiser has . . . uncovered much new information on all of the sites and glasshouses. For all of the factories, the author has done a substantial amount of research in the original documents, including land transfers, advertisements, patents, and a variety of other sources. The documentation is extensive and contains much new information. Anyone interested in the glass made in South Boston will want to consult this book."--The Glass Club Bulletin

About the Author

JOAN E. KAISER has spent over forty years collecting, writing, and lecturing about glassware. Her studies have appeared in antiques newspapers, periodicals, and journals. With Raymond E. Barlow she is co-author of the five-volume work The Glass Industry in Sandwich.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 284 pages
• Publisher: UPNE (January 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584658045
• ISBN-13: 978-1584658047
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,110,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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