Talking With the Clay: The Art of Pueblo Pottery [Paperback]

Stephen Trimble (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1988

Stephen Trimble conveys the beauty and fine craftsmanship of Pueblo Indian pottery and shows how pottery making is closely connected to the Pueblos' beliefs, their ties to the land, their role in the modern economic world, and their feelings of identity. With over 75 photographs, Talking with the Clay illustrates all the major pottery types, from the glittering micaceous of Taos and Picuris to the red and gold polychromes of Hopi.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Shifting back and forth from respect for tradition to the joy of innovation, the tale is held together by the common love of clay. -- The New York Times

About the Author

Stephen Trimble has become a primary narrator of the story of the Southwestern Indians through his books Our Voices, Our Land; The People: Indians of the American Southwest; The Village of Blue Stone; and an annual calendar based on the People. He has lived in the Four Corners states all his life and makes his home in Salt Lake City with his wife and two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: School of Amer Research Pr; First Edition edition (June 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0933452187
• ISBN-13: 978-0933452183
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,599,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Trimble has received a broad range of awards for his photography, his non-fiction, and his fiction, including: The Sierra Club's Ansel Adams Award for photography and conservation; The National Cowboy Museum's Western Heritage "Wrangler" Award; and a Doctor of Humane Letters from his alma mater, Colorado College, honoring his efforts to increase our understanding of Western landscapes and peoples and his choice to remain a stubborn generalist. As writer, editor, and photographer Trimble has published twenty-two books, including: Bargaining for Eden: The Fight for the Last Open Spaces in America * Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography * The Geography of Childhood: Why Children Need Wild Places (with Gary Paul Nabhan) * The Sagebrush Ocean: A Natural History of the Great Basin * The People: Indians of the American Southwest * and * Talking With the Clay: the Art of Pueblo Pottery in the 21st Century. Trimble makes his home in Salt Lake City and in the redrock country of Torrey, Utah. Trimble's website is www.stephentrimble.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book!, February 19, 2003

By 

Richard S. Guier (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Talking With the Clay: The Art of Pueblo Pottery (Paperback)

This book was recommended to me by the owner of a well known Native American Arts gallery as possibly THE best book on the subject, and it completely lives up to the recommendation. Based on a series of interviews with prominent potters from each pueblo, it not only gives an overview of the history of the different potteries, it is filled with personal thoughts and views of the various artists about their work--not only the processes of creating pottery, but their feelings about how they as modern potters fit into the "history" as well. If you are at all interested in Southwest Pueblo Pottery, you MUST read this book. It's not a "picture book" like so many others, though it does have many great photos, but it's not a scholarly text book either. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and I cannot thank my gallery owner friend enough for recommending it to me.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Talking with the Clay-Beautiful, January 3, 2008

By 

K. Doeg "Pueblo pottery collector" (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Talking with the Clay: The Art of Pueblo Pottery in the 21st Century (Paperback)

If you have any interest in Pueblo pottery, indeed any Native American pottery, this is the book for you. Beautifully illustrated with dazzling color photos and supported with knowledgeable commentary, this is the prime source of information about modern Pueblo pottery and potters. Mr. Trimble's 80s book on the subject was fine; this one is even better. Gorgeous.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning piece of work!, January 10, 2008

By 

Carter G. Walker (Bozeman, MT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Talking with the Clay: The Art of Pueblo Pottery in the 21st Century (Paperback)

This extraordinary piece of work by Stephen Trimble should be required reading for any collector. With well-told stories, rich detail and a lifetime spent researching, Trimble sheds light on the people -- both legendary and contemporary -- and the places behind this remarkable art form. The prose in Talking with the Clay sings and the photos shine. A magnificent book indeed!