Pottery Materials: Their Composition, Preparation and Use by John Colbeck

Pottery Materials: Their Composition, Preparation and Use by John Colbeck lands on the shelves of my shop.

Batsford, 1988, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs [359]; Colour Plates [4];

From the cover: It is of fundamental importance for the potter to have a sound working knowledge and understanding of the many materials now available to him.

John Colbecks clear, concise text sets out the qualities of these various raw materials and the principles on which mixtures may be compounded.

359 specially prepared photographs with full captions give step-by-step instructions for practical application.

The sections include:

• Clay
• Firing
• Glaze
• Slip
• Colouring pigments
• Testing
• Safety in the use of materials

Appendices giving a glossary of terms, tabulated data about materials; calculation methods, suppliers of materials, and suggested further reading, together with a comprehensive index, combine with the main sections to produce an invaluable work of reference, a copy of which should be to hand in every potters studio or workshop.

Very Good in Good+ Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper with a light pull and small nick to the head of the lower panel. Price Clipped. Previous owners’ inscription to the first blank.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 239 pages. Index. Bibliography. 10″ x 7½”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

The Lost Villages of England by Maurice Beresford

The Lost Villages of England by Maurice Beresford lands on the shelves of my shop.

Sutton Publishing, 1998, Paperback.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Charts; Maps; Tables; Fold-Out Maps [1]; Plans;

From the cover: Among existing villages in the English countryside are the sites of many others which have not survived, though six hundred years ago they were no different from their neighbours. This pioneering study locates the sites of Englands lost villages, describing the occasion of their depopulation and the character of those who destroyed them. Aerial photographs and ground plans of characteristic sites are included, together with maps to show the local distribution of lost villages. There is also a gazetteer, listing the villages by county.

First published in 1954, The Lost Villages of England combines the study of local, social and economic history, geography and domestic architecture. Maurice Beresfords work on lost villages was ground-breaking and in many respects has not been superseded, even where later research has modified his original work. Later generations of historians have built on this work, which, as Professor Christopher Dyer writes in his introduction to this edition, is one of those rare books that invent a new subject for investigation and debate.

In addition to the exhaustive county lists, there are detailed accounts of lost villages in Warwickshire and Yorkshire, and a chapter on methodology and approaches. This classic text will be an essential guide for all local historians, archaeologists and students of the medieval and early modern periods.

Introduction by: Christopher Dyer

In the Sutton History Handbooks series.

Very Good. Tanning to the margins of the wrappers and the edges of the text block. Text complete, clean and tight.

[XXXVII] 445 pages. Index. Bibliography. 9½” x 6¾.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!