Miller's: American Art Pottery: How to Compare & Value (Miller's Treasure or Not?) [Hardcover]

David Rago (Author), Suzanne Perrault (Author)

Book Description

Series: Miller's Treasure or Not? | Publication Date: August 20, 2001

Introducing a series quite unlike any other on the market. Miller's Treasure or Not? series is a clear, accessible, easy-to-follow guide to developing an appraiser's eye and a connoisseur's knowledge of American Art Pottery. At the heart of each volume are 61 full-colour, 2-page spreads in which pairs of related objects are analyzed, compared, and evaluated, with the object of answering the question why is one item more valuable than the other. The factors involved may be age, rarity, intricacy of design, maker, marks, provenance, lack of defects, later additions, restoration, etc. The expert authors hone in on the salient "value features" and clearly explain what makes an object worth what the market says it is worth. Each core spread consists of two large-scale, full-colour photos of the contrasted items, surrounded by call-outs highlighting the key "value features". Introductory text describes the pieces and their provenance and background. Bulleted points summarize the main points about each item, and feature boxes give additional information on history, material, manufacturers, marks, construction techniques, etc. All of the key studios are covered including Paul Revere Pottery, Rookwood, Grueby Faience, Dedham, Volkmar, Taco and many more. The book opens with topics such as How to Use, Buying and Selling, Care and Security, The Basics (Materials, Decorations, Periods & Styles), and Identification. There is also a directory of specialists, galleries, and museums; a bibliography; a glossary; and an index

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Rago has been a specialist in the subject for 30 years. A prolific author and writer, he is founder of the magazine Style: 1900 and Modernism Magazine. Rago serves as an appraiser on PBS' hit Antiques Roadshow series and owns an e-commerce/educational site dedicated to the sale and auction of 20th Century decorative art. Suzanne Perrault has been involved in the Arts & Crafts field since 1986. An independent dealer and freelance associate for David Rago, she has been their principal auction cataloguer since 1991, and manages the Perrault-Rago Gallery.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Mitchell Beazley (August 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840003820
• ISBN-13: 978-1840003826
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,487,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yet another book on American Art Pottery? Give me a break!, March 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Miller's: American Art Pottery: How to Compare & Value (Miller's Treasure or Not?) (Hardcover)

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

And thatÕs exactly what the authors here have done. TheyÕve 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 theyÕve 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 doesnÕt quite stack up to that of the authors, we think youÕll 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 SackÕs 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 Ð like Roseville -- to the relatively obscure Ð 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 pricesÐ which they readily admit reflect their own biases, to wit, "I like Grueby more than WheatleyÉand I like Weller less than Roseville" Ð but youÕll 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 whoÕve 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 weÕre 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 weÕre 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 Ð 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 whoÕs earned and gone forward with a "masterÕs" 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 biasesÉ learn to appreciate the beauty of the objects, and integrate the history that fueled the kilnsÉ(and) Allow the works of these great potteries to enter your life and delight your soulÉ" as they have quite obviously done for the authors.

And take this book along.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is THE book!, October 21, 2003

By 

Anteek Geek "the-anteek-geek" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Art Pottery (Hardcover)

I might be biased because I think everything Rago touches is genius but you just can't beat this art pottery expert. This man knows his stuff in a way no one else at this time can touch. His extensive auction and appraisal experience give him light on a subject that is still quite murky. Most of the examples in the book are from his collection or auctions so the reader gets a vicarious view of these masterpieces through Rago.
This is the one book to own if you love art pottery. I have spent years waiting and wanting a book like this. Apart from Kovels (written years ago), you cannot come close to this book. Miller's Treasure or Not Art Pottery is also excellent but Rago pours his all into this one. The photos are outstanding-they make you drool. Nearly all notable potters are represented. This is a great book for the expert and novice collector.

Get it now...it'll be relevent for decades!

32 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for arts and crafts enthusiasts!, August 29, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Art Pottery (Hardcover)

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!).