Kitchen Ceramics (Everyday Things) [Hardcover]

Suzanne Slesin (Author), Daniel Rozensztroch (Author), Stafford Cliff (Author)

Book Description

Series: Everyday Things | Publication Date: October 3, 1997

Featured in this handsomely designed, nostalgia-tinged volume are ironstone, the graceful, elegant china of myriad shapes first produced in England in the nineteenth century; redware, the first pottery of Colonial America, which was turned on a wheel and then covered with a clear glaze that made the clay waterproof; spongeware, a colorful descendant of English Staffordshire spatterware that is named for its style of decoration rather than its type of clay; mochaware, extraordinary pieces of earthenware with elaborate colored slip decorations; and yellowware, the down-home pottery that has been a kitchen staple since the 1820s. Today, these once simply utilitarian and serviceable objects are collector's items both for their rarity and for their decorative qualities; best of all, they can still be used in the kitchen or to add a homey touch to any decor.

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of the prettiest books I own . . . a stunningly colorful volume that should never simply be left on a shelf. . . . This is a coffee-table book to savor. -- Newark Star-Ledger, 12/13/98

[A] stunningly colorful volume that should never simply be left on a shelf. Almost every page evokes "oohs" and "ahs". . . . This is a coffee-table book to savor. -- Newark, NJ Sunday Star-Ledger

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Abbeville Press; 1st edition (October 3, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789202883
• ISBN-13: 978-0789202888
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #765,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Visually appealing but not very informative!, March 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Kitchen Ceramics (Everyday Things) (Hardcover)

This was a beautifully done book with wonderful pictures! The major problem I found with it is that it only covered four or five of the major brands of collectible kitchen ceramics. I ordered it under the impression that it covered a vast range of kitchen ceramics. What proved to be even more disappointing was that there was no price guide! I guess if you're an experienced collector of yellowware, redware, ironstone, etc. this would be a great book. For a novice such as myself, it proved to be relatively useless.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Color Photographs, July 28, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Central Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kitchen Ceramics (Everyday Things) (Hardcover)

As a novice collector of yellowware bowls I found this book to contain much general information from the history of kitchen ceramics to specific styles. The detailed color photographys are simply outstanding, showing numerous styles within each category of ceramic, and even goes so far as to point out the individual characteristics of pieces made my specific potters. This quickly became my favorite reference book and one I will never part with.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Potter's Reference, April 17, 2005

By 

Kristal Kokinda (Lexington, Ky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kitchen Ceramics (Everyday Things) (Hardcover)

I found this book at the library and studied the ceramic forms in it so many times(and paid enough late fees on it) that I decided I probably needed a copy.
It's a good reference book for a potter even if it's different from what you produce. It's loaded with visual information.
I love the intro pictures of the 19th century English potteries.