North Carolina Art Pottery Identification and Value Guide [Hardcover]

A. Everette James Jr. (Author), Everette James (Author), Rodney L. Leftwich (Author), Charlotte Brown (Foreword), Heather Warren (Designer)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2002

Pottery from the Catawba Valley, mountain pottery of Western North Carolina, the Coles, Nell Cole Graves, the Cravens, Jugtown, M.L. Owen, and even rare and unusual pieces are discussed. Signs, stamps, shapes, and symbols used are given coverage, as well as the implications of condition of the pottery. Family tree charts in this book are reprinted from The Traditional Potters of Seagrove, NC, copyright 1994, Robert C. Lock, Inc. AUTHORBIO: Everette James is an honors graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke Medical School, and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He taught at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, University College (London), and Vanderbilt. He has published over 500 articles and 20 books including: American Art: Thoughts of a Collector; Essays in Folk Art; Tales of the Dismal Swamp; and North Carolina Art Pottery 1900-1960. Dr. James and wife, Dr. Nancy Farmer, live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. REVIEW: Collectors have been waiting for a complete guide to the pottery native to the beautiful state of North Carolina, and this book provides a thorough look at the challenge of collecting these delightful pieces. The transition from utilitarian to art pottery is discussed, as well as pottery from Western North Carolina, Nell Cole Graves, M.L. Owen, and much more. No other book on the market can touch this one; it's the most in-depth volume available on the subject.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Collector Books (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574323083
• ISBN-13: 978-1574323085
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,445,052 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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Super North Carolina Pottery Reference, March 31, 2009

By 

James R. Henderson "glazemaven" (Southwest Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: North Carolina Art Pottery Identification and Value Guide (Hardcover)

This is a book for collectors written by a well-known authority and collector, Everette James. An ambitious work, "North Carolina Art Pottery" covers that period of the 20th century which saw the development and growth of a unique artisan-based industry which, over the course of the six decades covered by the book, produced a remarkable output of folk-craft based art pottery notable for its quality, variety, and volume. The remarkable potters who drove this cottage industry competed with the output of mechanized factories in the Ohio Valley and elsewhere; this story, alone, is worth knowing and retelling. The James book covers the early art potteries, such as Jugtown (which still survives), the "transitional" art pottery wares of the 1920s and early 1930s, and the mid-century products of numerous makers. The book is well-illustrated and is particularly strong in pieces from the 1920-1940 era, which are generally scarce and can be hard to identify. There is valuable information on styles, forms, glazes, marks, and identification criteria. The photographs suffer from some inconsistency of quality (backgrounds are often inappropriate and distracting) but on the whole provide a valuable resource for the student and collector.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive Introduction to the Potteries of North Carolina, August 25, 2007

By 

Sires "I enjoy mysteries, historical and proc... (Chesapeake, OH, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: North Carolina Art Pottery Identification and Value Guide (Hardcover)

I own a number of books described as "Collector's Guide"s and "Pottery Identification and Value Guide"s and most of them have a short history section and then some combination of catalog pages and photographs of examples, lines, and marks. Useful but limited.

However, this book contains evidence of substantial research into the history and aesthetics of various potteries and potters of North Carolina. He discusses various clay sources and, most important of all, offers numerous photographs of the bottoms of the illustrated pottery pieces. He also discusses the quite striking glazes used.

I was surprised to discover that certain unmarked pieces I had bought over the years in the Ohio Pottery area were in fact from North Carolina potteries.

Very recommended.

Edited just to add that Dr. James (his name is A. Everette James, Jr. not James A. Everette, Jr.) and his wife Dr. Nancy Farmer were awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by the Governor of North Carolina for their service to the state.