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Ralph
and Terry Kovel have written most authoritative
and current art pottery book on the market,
Kovels' American Art Pottery: The Collector's
Guide to Makers, Marks, and Factory Histories.
After the Kovels began collecting American art
pottery in the 1960s, they decided to research
and write their first book on the subject, The
Kovels' Collector's Guide to American Art Pottery
(Crown, 1974). Since that time, art pottery
has become one of the most important and popular
areas of collecting in this country. Today,
many pieces are still very affordable, and collectors
everywhere are searching for art pottery treasures.
Many other pieces are represented in museum
collections, and some pieces are selling for
thousands of dollars. The Kovels have never
stopped researching the history of art pottery
factories and products, and have been continuously
gathering new or previ-ously unpublished information
from rediscovered catalogs and records, archaeological
digs, and family histories. And now, they offer
the most complete and up-to-date pottery book
available for dealers and collectors alike.
However, it is really written with the collector
in mind, and the book emphasizes all the information
needed for an understanding of art pottery factories
and their wares. The Kovels list large and small
art pottery firms and include a general history
of each one. Makers, artists, and their backgrounds,
artists' and factory marks, dates, and lines
of pottery are all described in detail. The
Kovels discuss the well-known factories such
as Rookwood, Weller, and Grueby as well as the
lesser-known or recently recognized potteries
such as Avon, Radford, and Zanesville. More
than 215 potteries are listed here from A to
Z. There is also a full section on tile factories
following the art pottery portion of the book.
Kovels' American Art Pottery is extensively
illustrated with more than 700 beautiful color
and black-and-white photographs of art pottery
pieces. Also included are fascinating historical
photographs and more than 1000 illustrations
of actual artist and factory marks. The thorough
range of photographs and illustrations will
enable any collector to identify a piece of
art pottery by its decoration, shape, color,
or identifying mark. And to complete this valuable
reference, a bibliography is provided for all
those who wish further information about the
historical aspects of a pottery. Kovels'
American Art Pottery is an indispensable
book for all collectors, dealers, museums, or
antiques enthusiasts who wish to know all they
can about this exquisite art form.
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