20th-Century Glass (Collector's Guides) (Hardcover)

~ Judith H. Miller (Author) "The ancient technique of glass-blowing was gradually adapted and refined over the centuries and remained the dominant way of making glass until the 19th century..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Art Deco, Art Nouveau (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Running from vases and bowls to lamps and outright sculpture, this collector’s guide highlights notable glassware of the past century that transcends the pedestrian and has proven to be fine art. Miller, an antiques expert and co-founder of the bestselling Miller’s Antiques Price Guide, organizes the book primarily by type of glass (e.g., blown, pressed, iridescent), but she also includes concise histories of glass designers and factories. She provides illustrated looks at the hallmark traits of each style as well as carefully captioned examples of select pieces from each genre. Collectors will love the fact that she estimates the value of each piece shown in the book: Tiffany & Co Crocus table lamp, $30,000-$40,000; green glass dragon paperweight $30-50. Such price estimates establish Miller’s book as an important research and educational tool, and may send even casual readers running about to appraise the items in their homes. As thorough as it is, the book isn’t written with much sparkle. But die-hard collectors will hardly be looking for lyric verse in this volume—they’ll be looking for information, and this book unquestionably gives them that. 1,000+ illustrations.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Description

Explore the beauty, delicacy and exquisite design of 20th-Century Glass with this sumptuous collector's guide from Judith Miller. From crackle glass to perfume bottles and paperweights - over 1,000 individually priced items, with up-to-date valuations and unique historical information, are presented by subject area. With in-depth coverage of individual designers and factories, such as Tiffany, Lalique and Whitefriars, you can't afford to buy or sell without it.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd (October 7, 2004)
• ISBN-10: 1405305924
• ISBN-13: 978-1405305921
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,075,029 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transparent goodies, October 31, 2004

By	Robin Benson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: 20th Century Glass (Dk Collector's Guides) (Hardcover)

I think this may well become the standard reference guide for glass collectors. Beautifully designed, accessible and I thought very comprehensive in its coverage. Starting with blown and cased glass then pressed and moulded, iridescent, enamelled, painted, stained, engraved and finally cut glass. Each of these sections is broken down into national styles, for instance, the Scandinavian section of blown and cased glass covers Kosta Boda, Orrefors, Holmegaard, Riihimaki and Karhula-Iittala. All the glass shown has a caption that includes a dimension and price guide. The back of the book includes a glossary, dealer and museum addresses and that all-important index.

A particularly interesting chapter is the last one, contemporary and studio glass. Eighty-two artists are featured with one or two examples of their work. This is beautiful fine art glass and with some items it is hard to believe that they are made out of such a brittle substance. Predictably, there is not much in this section costing less than a thousand dollars.

I think it is worth commenting on the presentation. All the pages are very cleanly designed with typographic clarity for the main text, captions, key dates and designer information. The photos (over a 1,100) are presented as cutouts and almost jump off the page, all this glass looks just stunning.

BTW. The main US publishers of collector's books should study '20th-Century Glass', this is what highly visual titles should look like!

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, March 24, 2006

By	Assaf - See all my reviews

This review is from: 20th Century Glass (Dk Collector's Guides) (Hardcover)

A very good selection of designers and examples. I miss more elaborate explanations about the technics used in glass production. Images are in very good quality and the colors are vivid and beutifull. Very recomended for an overall study of 20th. century glass art.