Customer Reviews

Warman's Weller Pottery: Identification and Price Guide

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I knew absolutely nothing about Weller Pottery before I read this book, and now I feel very confident both in making purchases and selling them. Very well-organized, thorough and easy to follow. I wish they had included more photos of pieces from some of the lesser known Weller lines, but it is possible that they were just not available. I am going to buy the Ragos' other pottery books for reference and I would highly recommend this book!

This is an excellent book with succinct reviews and information concerning most all of the Weller lines. I especially liked the writer's opinions of the current popularity of various Weller lines. This is good if you are seeking to invest or resell items. Prices are current, but a real collector will pay whatever price is needed to add that unusual piece to their collection. This is one book I wish I had had at the beginning of my collecting and found useful now as well. Much better than some of those dictionaries out there, but the wise collector needs both to increase their knowledge and expertise in buying. The pictures are some of the best and great text. Great price. I recommend this book.

Fanatastic reference book! Love the in depth info and fabulous photos.

Helped me find my pattern that could be found no where else!!!!

I still have not received this book. What has happened to it? I can't review it until I receive it! Please advise.

In many ways I love this book - but I think that it requires a "disclaimer" of sorts. Firstly, let me say that this really is a beautiful book and if you have other Weller books to use it in conjunction with, then you'll be fine. But if this is the ONLY book you have for Weller - well, it's just not going to do the job. This book does not list all the types/lines of Weller. Some it only mentions in passing, many other lines, like Roba and Scenic, it skips over all together! The book even says this in the back, it prints a paragraph about lines being left out because they are common and low in value and then they list the production lines they skipped over. (This statement seemed a little snobbish to me, since many of the lines they consider too common to include are the lines that people most enjoy collecting. ... So while it offers some beautiful examples, I question it being sold as a `price and identification' guide. How can you be an identification guide if you skip over at least 15 major lines?

That being said, I have to admit that this book is an excellent addition to your existing Weller book collection! It has some really beautiful examples in it, all in full color photos. The lines Fru Russet, Louwelsa, Matt Green and Sicard are particularly well represented, with many wonderful examples that I had not previously seen. It also offers us examples of rare and seldom seen lines, such as Jap Birdimal (which I was only vaguely familiar with) and Turada, Besline and Cloudburst (none of which I had ever seen before).

I would definitely recommend that you add this book to your Weller collection. Just be aware that it doesn't cover the complete Weller lines.

Do NOT buy this book if you are a collector! Only a few production lines have a wide variety of items with prices, the vast majority of production lines are poorly if not insultingly handled. I expected better from a Warman's publication but this product by the Rago's is a hack job. When they feature a production line by using a photo of ONLY a single item or in many cases just a description, demonstrates a pathetic attempt at putting together a guide. How can a collector with a 7" vase get an idea of its value using this "price guide" when the only item the Rago's provide in this production line is a photo of a 20" umbrella stand? At this point most people would close the book, disappointed in the lack of info provided, unaware that they might find the vase identified in the back of the book. Yes, the Rago's put clear at the back of the book 14 pages of what is titled "Price Guide." Do they list the items in the "Price Guide" by production lines? Nope! They list items by type (IE: Bowl, Dish, Jardiniere, planter, vase, etc.) yet nowhere do they provide definitions for distinguishing a bowl from a pot or planter. Such definitions are required to help the collector with the "Identification" of an item. This is a must when few illustrations are provided. In the "Price Guide" there is a section marked "vase" where they included "wall vases" (which most collectors call wall-pockets) yet they have a section for "wall pockets" where different items are listed. These pages add more insult and provide even more confusion when collectors attempt to determine the value or production line of an item. The only shinning spot, and what got my rating bumped up to 2 stars, is the photography. While the photos are crisp, clear, and very well done, how lazy does the photographer have to be when they leave inventory stickers on the items being photographed? Seriously! Some photos show a vase in the middle and large amounts of dead space to each side! What a waste. Which brings me to, what's with all the wasted (blank) space in this book? On one page there is a photo of a nice vase taking about 25% of the page and a paragraph of about 72 words. Couldn't they find more examples of that product line to fill in the page? Then there is the page listing the "Etched Matt" production line. No photos just a paragraph and a 1" above and a 2" below high dead space running from side to side of the page. That's 3" high by the width of the page where a photo or catalog page could have been place to assist in the "Identification" of this product line. If the Rago's wanted to make a coffee-table book - fine, this is supposed to be an "Identification and Price Guide" so why do they waste space which adds bulk with cumulative pages of dead space? In the "Acknowledgements" the Rago's credit one collection for providing photos, which implies they used an extremely limited amount of product. The Weller Pottery Company produced 10s of thousands of items, having production lines with a relatively small amount of items to lines with dozens of items. Some production lines ran for a limited time while others ran for years. Any serious effort would have included multiple large collections, museum items, catalog pages, and dozens of contributions from individuals with select items. Something the Rago's with his "35 years experience...leading dealer in the field" and her having also "worked in the field...since her teens and is the auction director for sales of...Art Pottery" should thoroughly understand what is needed for a competent "Identification" book. Then at the very back of this "Price Guide" the Rago's list of "Resources" seems to be telling the reader to go search on the internet or go to the convention or go ask a specific association. This, to me, shows they knew this product is pathetic and so they made this weak attempt at trying to assist the collector who is left with unanswered questions. Basically, I get the impression that they washed their hands of any confusion or disappointment they created to any collector. The overall book is an insult to even the most novice collector. If this book is a "Guide" - it is the equivalent of a blind Sherpa. Again - Do NOT buy this book if you are a collector!

THIS IS A VERY WELL PUT TOGETHER BOOK. I HAD NOT RESEARCHED WELLER UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY MY VASE AS WELLER. I ORDERED THIS BOOK AND WAS EXTREMELY PLEASED WITH THE PHOTOS AND TEXT. THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF INFO IN IT, AND I FOUND MY VASE!!

I recently purchased a piece of Weller. I was glad to find a new resource guide with information and prices. Good variety of photos.