Jump to content

Infuential Books


Recommended Posts

I just finished reading the old thread on potter's who influenced your life, started by Marcia. How about an off-shoot? "The top 5 books on pottery that influenced you the most. I would list mine as:

 

- Marguerite Wildenhain - The Invisible Core: A Potter's Life and Thoughts

- Bernard Leach - The Potter's Challenge

- Michael Cardew - A Pioneer Potter

- Charles Counts - Pottery Workshop

- Frederick Olsen - The Kiln Book

 

I am always looking out for new books (or old ones for that matter) on pottery and the philosophy of pottery – so hopefully this will start a thread of us sharing books that have inspired us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just finished reading the old thread on potter's who influenced your life, started by Marcia. How about an off-shoot? "The top 5 books on pottery that influenced you the most. I would list mine as:

 

- Marguerite Wildenhain - The Invisible Core: A Potter's Life and Thoughts

- Bernard Leach - The Potter's Challenge

- Michael Cardew - A Pioneer Potter

- Charles Counts - Pottery Workshop

- Frederick Olsen - The Kiln Book

 

I am always looking out for new books (or old ones for that matter) on pottery and the philosophy of pottery – so hopefully this will start a thread of us sharing books that have inspired us.

 

 

Michael Cardew - Pioneer Potter

Robin Hopper - Functional Pottery

Leila Philip - The Road Through Miyama - memoir about living in a small Japanese village as a pottery apprentice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here are my top five:

- Out of the Earth, into the Fire: A Course in Ceramic Materials for the Studio Potter

- The Ceramic Spectrum by hopper

- Glazes from Natural Sources by Brian Sutherland

- Wood-Fired Stoneware and Porcelian by Jack Troy

- Gas Burners for Forges, Furnaces, and Kilns by Michael Porter

 

 

 

Then if you are into wood fire like me look into "The log book" series. by Coll Minogue and Robert Sanderson

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would say

for my education early on in ceramics:

- Bernard Leach - The Potter's Book

- Michael Cardew - A Pioneer Pottery

-Stoneware and Porcelain; the Art of High Fired Pottery by Daniel Rhodes

-The short Kiln Building book by Paul Soldner

-The Potters' Alternative by Harry Davis + the Studio Potter Book 1978

 

and some other favorites for looking at how others made their way in ceramics:

-Grand Feu Ceramics- Taxile Doat

biography of Bernard Palissy by Leonard Amico

Glory in Porcelain , biography of Adelaide Robineau by Peg Weiss

The Ceramics Career of M Louise McLaughlin

Mad Potter of Biloxi

 

Marcia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10,000 years of pottery by Emmanuel Cooper (earlier printings/editions titled Ten thousand years of pottery)

 

Pottery analysis: a sourcebook by Prudence M. Rice

 

Pottery in the making: world ceramic traditions edited by Ian Freestone and David Gaimster

 

Gifts of the Nile edited by Florence Friedman

 

Ceramics from Islamic lands by Oliver Watson

 

I love these book threads.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are some really great books listed here…should really add some inspirational books to our reading lists. I saw Marcia called out a book about George Ohr, the mad potter of Biloxi. A really amazing character – if you have never heard of him, you should definitely look him up. He was someone way ahead of his time.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are some really great books listed here…should really add some inspirational books to our reading lists. I saw Marcia called out a book about George Ohr, the mad potter of Biloxi. A really amazing character – if you have never heard of him, you should definitely look him up. He was someone way ahead of his time.

I visited his museum in Biloxi last year. it is a growing institution and awesome museum.

Marcia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Piccolpasso's Three Books of the Potter's Art add to my list!

 

is a great book on traditions during the renaissance. I visited the De Gracie Pottery in Deruta, Italy in 2004 where they were still practicing traditions for majolica production as described in the book.

 

The Studio Potter's Book , add this one too. Very resourceful.

 

Marcia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I mentioned this one in another thread or two, Penland School of Crafts, Book of Pottery. Ten influential potters from the 60's talking about their work and graphically demonstrating pieces they have done. A short gallery with each potter. Notables are Reitz, Turner, Larsons,  Bringle, Peiser, and Takaezu. Work that I have admired for years, and have borrowed from in my own work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just finished Emmanual Cooper's biography of Lucie Rie. Very inspiring and interesting to read about her life and that of Hans Coper. Also, the Pot Book by Edmund de Waal is a fun coffee-table type book, and he lists artists who work in a similar way on each page. This is a fun aspects as it can send you on a little journey of research and appreciation. The pots are listed alphabetically (by their makers) so you get some interesting juxtapositions as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

My Top 5 list is a mixed bag of things...but I seem to come back to these:

And thanks to all... I will be adding several of the recommendations in this thread to my wish list!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

The Potter's Complete Book of Clay and Glazes by James Chappell

Clay and Glazes for the Potter by Daniel Rhodes

Ceramics A Potters Handbook by Glen C Nelson

Clay Bodies by Robert Tichane

Ceramic Formulas: The complete compendium by John W Conrad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am repeating myself for the most part. But these are the first ones that pop into my head.

 

The Potters Booka by Bernard Leach

16th century Piccolpasso's Three books of the Potter

Bernard Pallisey' s biography of his trials and errors in majolica 17 or 18th century

The Potters Craft pre Charles Binns. 19th century

 

I had a copy that belonged to Dave Finklenberg's Aunt Augusta who lived in Montana

Grand Feu Ceramics by Taxile Doat who worked at the Sevres Porcelain factory before coming to the US to work at the Women's university in St. Louis with Adelaide Robineau.

Paul Soldner's kiln book more like a monograph.

The AP Green Pocket manual with brick combos for arches.

 

Marcia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with John, the Potters Book was a Bible. I reread it when I started working with oil burners and that part made sense the second time around after experiencing clinker buildup from poor combustion. That helped tremendously in redesigning our oil burner adaptation with three nozzles. The burners were published in the Studio Potter Book in 1973!

Thank you, Sir Leach.

Marcia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.