Books by Author

101 Ceramic Highlights; The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

101 Ceramic Highlights profiles the ceramic collections at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent, through 101 carefully selected entries. Introductory essays also explore how this unique and special collection has developed from its origins in the 19th century. Naturally, this attractive publication references the world’s largest collection of North Staffordshire pottery, but also features objects from all over the world, exploring more than 4000 years of international ceramic history. 101 Ceramic Highlights features more than 200 high-quality images and is the perfect gift or souvenir.

Here is what Spode History Blog says about the book: Every time I revisit the book I learn something new, whether leafing through the pages to look at the beautiful photographs by Matthew Coupe, or reading in more depth the fascinating history of the museum and how its collections came about. Miranda Goodby, Claire Blakey and Joseph Perry did a wonderful job selecting, researching and writing about just 101 objects from this remarkable and huge collection, giving a great snapshot of what stories it can tell... and tempting you to a visit to see the galleries.

Pottery Recipes Book by Staffordshire Potter Thomas Lakin

SECTION I. Receipts for superior and common Bodies of Porcelain, Earthenware, vitrious and porous Bodies, with various coloured Drabs

SECTION II. Receipts for superior and common Glases of Poreelain, Iron Stone, Earthenware, and varioua coloured Drabs 

SECTION Ill. Receipts for Enamel Colours, and Colours under Glase, burnished  Gold, and Lustres ; printed Blue, Brown, and Mulberry, with various Fluxes, Solutions, and Oxides

SECTION IV. Receipts for preparing Zaffre and Cobalt Blue, with the Processes of Smelting, Refining, and Calcining

SECTION V. Introduction to Painting and Staining GIass

Receipts for Stains and Enamel Colours for Painting Glass, with the Process of Etching and Coating Glass

Anglo-American Pottery

Anglo-American Pottery: Old English China with American Views; a Manual for Collectors

Press of Patterson & White Company, 1901 - More info on Google Collectors and collecting - 220 pages

A Potted History, Henry Willett’s Ceramic Chronicle of Britain

Assembled between 1860 and 1900, the Willett Collection of Pottery and Porcelain is unique in being the only collection in public ownership (Brighton & Hove Museums, UK) to illustrate what Henry Willett called ‘popular British history’, through the medium of ceramics. It is of enormous importance for its innovative approach to collecting, for the outstanding quality of many of its individual pieces and for the fact that it is intact over 100 years after it was formed.

Willett was a renowned collector in his own lifetime. He was a close collaborator with Sir Augustus Franks of the British Museum and is also mentioned in the diaries of Lady Charlotte Schreiber, whose collections form the basis of the English ceramic holdings at the Victoria & Albert Museum.  Willett’s collection is comparable with either of these, with the Glaisher Collection at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge or the Burnap Collection in Kansas, USA.

Some 2000 items include vessels, dishes, tiles, ornamental busts and figures, dating from the late16th to the late 19th century. They represent a complete range of English ceramic bodies and manufacturing technology as well as a wide variety of decorative techniques. The collection includes one of the largest groups of printed wares in the UK, including hollow-ware, plates and tiles.  Despite the fact that he was not primarily concerned with documentary pieces, the collection includes many important, rare and unique examples from named factories and well-known decorators and engravers.

The book respects Willett’s original intentions, grouping his pieces under historical themes representing aspects of British history. Some, such as ‘Royalty and Loyalty’, ‘Naval Heroes’, ‘England & America’ and ‘Statesmen’ (Politicians) are traditionally commemorative, celebrating historic events and personalities. Others have strong social and cultural history interest, such as ‘Music’, ‘Drama’ and ‘Pastimes and Amusements’ as well as ‘Trades and Professions’ and ‘Clubs and Societies’. ‘Crime’ documents some salacious court cases, while ‘Domestic Incidents’ accounts for rites of passage in family life.

The book, containing over 700 illustrations, includes comprehensive footnotes and bibliography. I have endeavoured, however, to give more than a thumbnail sketch of the events and personalities featured, especially where they are commemorated by more than one object. I have also tried to account for why these particular events and celebrities caught the public imagination, to the extent that the potters considered it worth producing a sizeable souvenir edition, reflecting Willett’s original intentions. I have drawn extensively on contemporary press comment and diaries for evidence of interest among ordinary people.

Available for purchase on Amazon US, or Amazon UK

Tyneside Pottery

R.C. Bell's excellent 1971 publication is available from various sellers through Amazon Books. This book includes information on and examples from over 100 potteries located in the northeast of England along the rivers Tyne, Wear and Tees. It covers the period from 1740 - 1963. Hundreds of illustrations, marks, and histories of the potteries are featured. There are many transferware examples. More information (from the book's dust jacket).

The Spode Society Exhibition Catalogue

Following the success of the Spode Society Exhibition held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham in November 2021, the Catalogue is available to purchase for the sum of £20 plus postage. In full colour, the 196 pages cover the history of the factory and comprehensive information on over 200 ceramic exhibits from all periods of the Spode and Copeland production. This is an ideal addition for the ceramic collectors’ bookshelf, for museum ceramic departments, auctioneers etc. Enquire and order at contact@spode-society.co.uk.

The Blue China Book

Early American Scenes and History Pictured in the Pottery of the Time. With a Supplementary Chapter describing the celebrated Collection of Presidential China in the White House at Washington, D.C., and a complete Checking List of known Examples of Anglo-American Pottery.

Caughley Blue & White Patterns

For the first time ever, a definitive book of Caughley blue and white patterns and accompanying borders has been published by The Caughley Society and is available now. 151 patterns and their borders are fully described and illustrated with nearly 500 newly commissioned digital photographs of pieces in both private and museum collections, many of which have never been published before. Each pattern occupies at least one page and is illustrated by one or more photographs. A detailed description accompanies each, which includes a date range during which the pattern is believed to have been used, the pattern’s rarity, the marks that accompany the pattern, the shapes it was used on, which borders accompany it, whether it is printed or painted, and details of whether the pattern was also used by the Worcester factory. A commentary elaborates this information and draws attention to particular features.

With 256 pages, this hardback book with dust jacket has been produced to the highest professional standards and is printed in full colour throughout. It has been written by a team of leading experts from the Society and, with a foreword by Geoffrey Godden, contains additional chapters on the patterns in their historical context, borders, documentary pieces, and marks. It will be a comprehensive and invaluable source of information for auctioneers, ceramic historians, collectors, curators, dealers, and others interested in eighteenth-century porcelain.

Reviews:

“This new Society-backed publication, with its wide range of helpful illustrations, will surely testify to the importance of this very rural Shropshire factory.” – Geoffrey Godden

“Neat classifications of patterns by names and numbers are incredibly useful. This book will not only help auctioneers, dealers and museums catalogue their pieces, it will become the bible for existing collectors and encourage new ones.” – John Sandon

This long-awaited book has been published in a limited edition of 500 copies. The cover price is £45.00, and the cost of shipping varies according to country. 

We share information about this book with thanks to the Caughley Society.

Manufacturing Processes of Tableware during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

Lavishly illustrated, full colour, 186 page book. It displays the vast experience and knowledge the author has of the manufacturing processes of bone china and earthenware tableware, mainly as carried out in the Spode works; these were typical of the methods used throughout the pottery industry and should be of interest to all people involved with pottery and porcelain, whether as collectors, customers or dealers.

To order Robert Copeland’s new book, send a PayPal payment in British Pounds of £35 (price includes £25 for the book plus £10 for international shipping and handling abroad) to:  publications@northernceramicsociety.org . 
Be sure to state on the PayPal form that payment is for the Copeland book and to include your shipping address.
British residents may order the book on the Northern Ceramic Society web site: Use this link.
Please note less than 500 copies are available.

Blue and White Transferware: 1780 to 1840

Blue and white transfer-printed earthenware was produced in vast quantities in the early nineteenth century. It was made in the Staffordshire Potteries, and also in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Northumberland and South Wales. After the Napoleonic Wars a large export trade to North America was established. The wares that have survived are now avidly collected on both sides of the Atlantic and some are now exported from Britain as antiques.

This book describes and illustrates over 150 of the relatively few pieces of blue and white transfer ware that do bear the makers' mark. This will help dealers and collectors in their attempts to attribute other specimens. Great stress is also laid on the need to examine all characteristics of the pieces before identifying their makers - colour, glaze, shape, etcetera are fully considered. The captions to the photographs add much detailed information, and a great many new facts about transfer-printed pottery are included. These will greatly assist collectors, and anyone beginning to take an interest in the subject. -- from the book's dustjacket.

The Dictionary of Blue & White Printed Pottery 1780-1880 (Volume 1)

This dictionary brings together as many facts as possible about blue and white printed pottery at the height of its popularity and production. The authors have produced a comprehensive guide, covering every possible aspect of the subject, with Appendices which include makers' initial marks and a list of source books used by makers. The discovery that prints could be transferred to porcelain and pottery helped transform the ceramics industry. Inevitably, the market demand at the end of the nineteenth century for brightly coloured wares put an end to this extraordinary potting endeavour but the interest of collectors has never declined. This book was awarded the Library Association's 1982 McColvin Medal for an outstanding reference book. It is the first of a two volume set, having been supplemented in 1989 by a separate companion volume containing additional entries and further information. Although first published in 1982, it has remained in print ever since and is still the standard reference work.

The Dictionary of Blue & White Printed Pottery 1780-1880 (Volume 2)

Designed as a comprehensively cross-referenced companion to the original Dictionary, this second volume includes over 1,000 new or extended entries. These cover many previously unrecorded patterns, recent attributions, newly discovered design sources and a significant number of additional manufacturers and retailers. Some of the more interesting wares after the original deadline of 1880 have also been included. The social history behind the potters' choice of subject is of considerable interest and, wherever possible, entries include details of the people or events which inspired unidentified patterns or their titles. One new feature is an Appendix illustrating unidentified patterns, important marked examples of which may yet be unearthed by a diligent collector. Again a standard reference work.

Spode Transfer Printed Ware 1784-1833

Spode Transfer Printed Ware, first published in 1983, has now been extensively enlarged and revised, listing and illustrating every known transfer print issued by the Spode family at their Works in Stoke-on-Trent. More than 100 additional prints have been discovered since 1983.

The Spode Blue Room: An Introduction

With a TCC Richards Foundation Grant, Michael Escolme has written and published an excellent Guide to the Spode Museum Blue Room.  This guide is available for download to TCC members.(Download PDF for members)

The Blue Room contains hundreds of blue transfer-printed pieces made at Spode between c.1790-1847 and is almost certainly the largest and most important collection of Blue and White printed ceramics on public display in the world. The guide provides visitors with important historical facts and images of this treasured room.

The Diaz collection: Material Culture and Social Change in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Monterey (California).

This report, prepared by the Cultural Resource Management Unit of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, describes archaeological excavations and studies of the 1820s Cooper-Molera Adobe. It includes a healthy dose of transferware. Available as a PDF download. Download here.

Adams Ceramics: Staffordshire Potters and Pots, 1779-1998

By studying primary source material, the authors have compiled the most authentic and readable record of the prolific Adams ceramic wares from England, including earthenware, bone china, jasper, stoneware, basalt, and Parian made over a 200 year period.

Ceramic Makers' Marks

Erica Gibson’s comprehensive guide provides a much-needed catalogue of ceramic makers' marks of British (primarily), French, German, and American origin found in North American archaeological sites. Consisting of nearly 350 marks from 112 different manufacturers from the mid-19th through early 20th century, this catalog provides full information on both the history of the mark and its variants, as well as details about the manufacturer. A set of indexes allow for searches by manufacturer, location, mark elements, and common words used. This guide will be of interest not only to historical archaeologists, but material culture specialists, collectors, museum professionals, students, art historians, and others interested in ceramics.

Read Connie Rogers' review of Ceramic Makers' Marks.

Godden's Guide to Ironstone, Stone and Granite Ware

British Ironstone China and the related stone china and granite ceramic bodies are as important in their way as English creamwares or indeed bone china itself. Initially, the ironstone-type bodies were introduced to emulate, rival and undersell the vast and popular importations of Oriental porcelains. Not only did the ironstone manufacturers succeed in this ideal but they progressed to take over the trade.

The Cambrian Company: Swansea Pottery in London 1806-1808

In 1808, James Christie II was employed to sell the remaining stock of the Cambrian Company, the London Warehouse of the Swansea Pottery located at 64 Fleet Street. The auction sales, between February and April 1808, comprised around 14,000 pieces in over 1,000 lots, similar in scale to the Wedgwood & Bentley disposals in 1781. Much of the finest pottery made in Swansea was included in these 1808 sales - pieces decorated with Nelson, the Welsh Bard, Birds and Butterflies etc. However, letters in Philadelphia prove that the Warehouse, established just eighteen months before in the middle of 1806, was opened to showcase Lewis Weston Dillwyn's lustre. Despite the clear artistic success, the auction sales point to a commercial failure. Notwithstanding Nelson's victory at Trafalgar in 1805, the global economy remained depressed, with trade disrupted given the actions of the British, French and Americans, culminating in Jefferson's Embargo Act of 1807.

Continuing the tradition for works on Welsh ceramics, this book is available in two bindings. The general edition is hard backed and limited to 750 copies.

In addition, there is a deluxe edition fully bound in leather with a slip case. This is limited to 64 numbered and signed copies.

Both editions are slightly smaller in height than standard A4 and over 375 pages in length. The book is profusely illustrated - there are over 250 separate illustrations, generally in full colour.

If any member wants a copy they can email Jonathan Gray at jdgray@talk21.com

Ynysmeudwy Pottery

A comprehensive soft cover book of 32 pages covering the products of this relatively unknown Welsh Pottery near Swansea.

Fully illustrated in colour with a section on marks. Includes many transfer prints including children’s wares.

This book's press run is sold out but used copies may be available on-line.

Glamorgan Pottery

This is a comprehensive study of The Glamorgan Pottery at Swansea, Wales, which flourished for 24 years, and competed successfully with many of its rivals.There are a wealth of 179 coloured illustrations, many of previously unrecorded pieces. Pearlwares, creamwares, sprigged, and green glazed wares are illustrated, and mention is made of mocha, banded and marbled wares also being produced at this small factory. The majority of pieces however, are transfer printed in predominantly blue (also flow blue), but black, green, pink and brown transfers were also used.

There are chapters on children`s plates, tea and dessert services, toilet wares, and also the more unusual decorative items such as cow creamers, puzzle jugs and vases. Marks are shown and there is an interesting section showing part of a workman’s book which the author discovered. There are recipes for glazes and colour pigments, together with diagrams of kilns. This is a most worthwhile addition to any ceramic collectors library.

This book is out of print but may be available used.

Swansea Commemorative Pottery

Politics  Reform  Royalty  Wars
The focus of the book is on a relatively small group of wares produced at the Swansea potteries in South Wales, generally classed as ‘commemoratives’, sometimes documentary, certainly historical. The aim has been to discover and record the primary source materials from which the engravers and artists at Swansea worked. Ceramic manufacturers depended on London print shops to provide the sources from which the engravers could derive inspiration and subsequently copy; many of the Swansea designs can be traced to contemporary prints published at that time.

There are 24 chapters with over 200 coloured illustrations.

 The subjects under review follow a consecutive path beginning with Admiral Rodney’s involvement in the American War of Independence  in 1781 and progress through the military and naval events of the Napoleonic wars with France including chapters on Nelson, Wellington, The Duke of York and  Napoleon Bonaparte. Political issues such as the Reform Act of 1832 are discussed and the lives of the social reformers Daniel O’Connell, Father Mathew, Rev. John Wesley and others, men who promoted causes aimed at improving living conditions and laws relating to the working classes, were also celebrated. Royal subjects including Queen Victoria and Royal Albert are also illustrated. Throughout the book the transfers on pottery are compared with the original primary source print or engraving.

 Examples are taken from both commercial potteries at Swansea and reflect the maker’s vision of some snapshots of history as seen through the eyes of the pottery workers.

How to Order
Price UK £38
Price to TCC members £30
Postage determined when order is placed
Pay via paypal.me/Helen Hallesy

Email: h.hallesy@sky.com

Swansea Pottery Collectors' Exhibition 2006

This is an essential reference guide to all collectors of Swansea pottery. A hardback book, limited edition of 300 copies

The exhibition, held at Swansea Museum during the summer of 2006, displayed pottery sourced from private collectors, both transfer wares and hand painted items; many pieces are catalogued and illustrated here for the first time with over 350 items shown as themes: Breakfast wares, tea wares, dinner & dessert wares, toilet wares, children’s wares, maritime, commemorative and those documentary, specially designed pieces.

Those who missed the exhibition will find the book an excellent substitute, as each piece is beautifully catalogued and illustrated.

This book is out of print but may be available used.

Extraordinary British Transferware 1780-1840

This 320-page hard back book brings to the attention of the collecting public nearly 300 transferware items from 1780–1840, including examples of dinner ware, toilet and medical ware, and pieces for food preparation and storage. The exceptional pieces cataloged are uncommon in pattern, shape, use, or other factors; interesting in terms of history of its use; and/or thought provoking because its use is a mystery. Each of these very unusual, rare, and extraordinary items are presented here on its own page with multiple images showing every aspect of the piece, including source prints if available. In addition, each piece is accompanied by a full description, including the historical context of these wares and how people lived in Georgian and early Victorian times, as well as details on the maker, size, date of manufacture, and marks. With more than 1200 images, this book of pottery objects for every conceivable use will appeal to collectors, historians, auctioneers and dealers alike.The book is now available from Amazon.

A Review by Judie Siddall
"Extraordinary British Transferware: 1780-1840 illustrates more than 300 unusual patterns and shapes that delight the eye and the brain of both the casual and informed collector of transfer-printed pottery. Richard and Rosemary Halliday, transferware collectors, researchers, and dealers, have photographed beautifully and written in luscious detail about each piece of pottery. The photography is excellent and the writing even possibly better. The book proves to be more than a picture book. It focuses on the unusual, but is really a smorgasbord of transferware. And, like a smorgasbord, there is a taste for everyone." Read the entire review.

Transfer-printed Medical & Toilet Wares 1780-1850

This book deals specifically and comprehensively with medical and toilet wares. The book allows for comparison of factories and how the development of the wares changed over time; is divided into shape-specific sections that include, when available, shape book images, source images, and non-transferware pieces for comparison; and include the extent to which the wares were exported.

The book is available for purchase as a hard copy for anyone at cost (zero profit to the author) on Lulu.com.

members only for free PDF download (note: this pdf is 29MB and maybe slow)

The Italian Pattern: The story of an iconic 19th century transferware design

Spode's Italian pattern surely has to be one of the most recognizable and indeed most iconic designs in the history of transfer printed pottery. It is possibly true to say that almost every home, antique shop, antique show and museum around much of the world has at least one example of this pattern within it. From its inception in 1816, it has largely remained in production until this day and this must be seen as a phenomenal achievement.

TCC member Richard Halliday, sponsored by the Paul and Gladys Richards Foundation and Transferware Collectors Club, has exhaustively documented the history and presentation of this pattern on transfer printed pottery. Halliday has catalogued the extensive collection of Andrew and Adrienne Richards (no relation to the Richards Foundation), but has gone way beyond mere cataloguing and presentation of images. His work encompasses the introduction of Spode's famous Italian pattern. It explores how the pattern was produced and copied by many other potters in the early nineteenth century and it explains how this was allowed in the period prior to the copyright act. Filled with hundreds of color images, Mr. Halliday's work catalogs the different potters producing the pattern and shows the variation in their approach, including shapes, colors, quality of wares, and more.

Free download from TCC site:

• High-resolution PDF -- suitable for printing (large file, download may take 6-7 minutes; please be patient)
• Low-resolution PDF -- suitable for online viewing (relatively quick download)

The Nuneham Courtenay pattern

Richard Halliday’s latest published work is in hardback form (9” x 6”), presented over 161 pages. It is in full colour and has over 300 images. It tells the story of one of the most famous transfer-printed designs, and also explores the history behind the pattern. There are many historical images, source prints and modern-day photographs and supportive text. The book has four chapters dedicated to the pottery adorned with the Nuneham Courtenay pattern where each item has its own page with many images and full descriptions.

The Nuneham Courtenay or Wild Rose pattern has to be one of the most famous and truly iconic images in the history of pottery design and production. Its longevity of manufacture and quantity bear testament to its success and very few other designs can have this said about them. There is no doubting its success and some of the pieces manufactured in the early period (1815-1830) are as good as you will see in any form of transferware. The potting is fine as is the engraving and the pieces as a whole are superbly executed. As such, they would grace and indeed add to any collection anywhere in the world.

Apart from the fact it was a beautiful pattern having a lovely balance, rustic appeal and such soft and gentle bucolic charms, it had real history behind it too. This particular spot in our green and pleasant land owes its origins to William the Conqueror. Subsequent famous names in history such as Cardinal Wolsey, the Chaucer family and artist J. M. W. Turner have all had dealings with this area. The location as a whole was a very fashionable place for the well-to-do to visit in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The story behind the pattern is absolutely fascinating and one that is full of twists and turns and great names from the past. Finding out about these historical points of interest certainly puts it into context and really brings the pattern to life. This is so much more than just a made-up, boring and inanimate pattern. If you continue reading you will find out its rich history.

In short, enjoy the pattern, learn more about it as it has so much to offer and much more than people often think and give it credit for.

Copies are exclusively available from R & R Halliday at £25 sterling plus shipping.

Web: www.bluetransferware.com
Email: blueandwhite@btinternet.com

Pickle Dishes & Milseys

In this excellent 204-page publication, Richard Halliday documents the outstanding and one-of-a-kind collection of the late Robin Greeves and provides an interesting social and historical perspective for these two often misunderstood forms of transfer-printed Staffordshire pottery. Richard's study includes a discussion of the role of "pickles" on 18th and 19th century English tables, a review of how pickle dishes and milseys were used, and a comprehensive and well-organized catalog of patterns and shapes. This book is the result of a research grant from the Transferware Collectors Club. Following the completion of Mr. Halliday's exhaustive work to catalog and research the collection, it was sold in lots at auction. The project includes literally hundreds of quality images of these two unusual forms which are skillfully organized by shapes and patterns. This is a book you will surely want to add to your library.

CHINOISERIE: Printed British Ceramics in the Chinese Style 1750-1900

It is a hardcover, 416-page book, 270 x 210 mm (10.6 x 8.27 in), with over 1450 color images. Published by Gomer Press, South Wales.

Generous support from the TCC Richards Foundation Research Grant Program helped to make this book possible.  A website with much more information about the book and how to order is available.

Cleaning Historic Transferware

Antique transferware collector Scott T. Hanson shares his process for removing grime and under-glaze stains from historic Staffordshire transferware dishes. Using close-up photographs and clear text, the process is illustrated and described using two examples. Antique dealers have had their secret methods for cleaning these beautiful pieces of pottery but have not wanted the public to discover how it can be done. After ten years of trial and error and experimentation, Hanson has developed a method that will remove the deepest stains from virtually any piece of glazed transferware, returning pieces to the bright colors and clean white backgrounds they had when they left the Staffordshire potteries in the 19th century. Clear, close-up photos walk you through the entire process, step by step. Two examples are shown to illustrate cleaning both a typically stained and dirty piece and a badly stained and grimy piece. Also included is a concise description of the process used to create transferware in the Staffordshire region of England in the 19th century. Understanding how the pieces were made will help you to understand how they became stained under the glaze and how the method illustrated works to remove the stains. Scott T. Hanson is a Maine based architectural historian who collects antique transferware to display and use in his 19th century home, Whitten House. Using documentary research into probate inventories of members of the original family to own the house, and shards of historic transferware found under and around the house in the course of restoration, he was able to identify the exact patterns that were in the house during the time two generations of the Whitten family called it home. Searching in shops, flea markets, auctions, and online, he has slowly found pieces of the patterns the Whitten family owned and assembled a collection reflecting their time in the house. Scott Hanson is also the co-author of The Architecture of Cushing's Island, written with Maine State Historian, Earle G. Shettleworth, and published in 2012. He has appeared, along with Whitten House, on the television program "If Walls Could Talk" on HGTV.

Amazon Review
An extremely useful book
By LGL on February 28, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
We've collected Staffordshire Blue for years. We try to find the pieces we want in as pristine condition as possible, but sometimes a piece turns up that is stained but desirable in other ways. The approach outlined in this book is the first one we've tried that actually does exactly what the author claims. It isn't fast - it took us almost three months to do our test clean on a blue & white Victorian sugar bowl we'd been given that was badly stained. (And I do mean "badly" - it was brown in places.) At the end of the three months, following Hanson's directions exactly, it looks almost like new. After that we did an older piece, a sauce tureen by Hall, that wasn't as badly stained and required somewhat less time. It, too, looks pristine. Based on our experience with these two pieces, I think the approach is certainly worth trying, and thank the author for sharing the results of his experimentation. We bought the Kindle version of the book.

About the Author
Scott T. Hanson is a Maine based architectural historian who lives in a 19th century home, Whitten House, in the mid-coast region. He grew up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, before settling on the Maine coast. His most recent publication (and first eBook) is "Cleaning Antique Staffordshire Transferware." Using documentary research into probate inventories of members of the original owners of his house, and shards of historic transferware found under and around the house in the course of restoration, he was able to identify the exact patterns that were in the house during the time two generations of the Whitten family called it home. Searching in shops, flea markets, auctions, and online, he has slowly found pieces of the patterns the Whitten family owned and assembled a collection reflecting their time in the house. After a decade of collecting, he has brought back to the house many items matching those owned by the Whittens in the 19th century. As part of that process, he developed an effective and affordable method for cleaning transferware, which he shares in the book.

Rathbone, China and Earthenware Manufacturers, Tunstall, Staffordshire 1808 to 1843

This second edition is A4 in size, hard back with dust jacket, 237 pages and some 900 high quality images.  It commences with the history of the Rathbone brothers and their potteries in Staffordshire and Portobello in Scotland and records all the Staffordshire partnerships with descriptions of the pottery that they built and extended.

Many marks are recorded and illustrated.  Each shape of tea ware has its own image and a pattern number range to help identification, then followed by an image of each pattern, most with the identified pattern number, some without.  Prints and Broseley have separate chapters.  Dessert ware and spill vases emanate from tea ware patterns.  Mugs and jugs have the same shape and pattern treatment as tea ware and include those decorated with sprigs, commemoratives and named and dated.  Both tea ware and mugs and jugs have been seen in US collections and publications.

Unusually, there are chapters connecting Rathbone to other contemporary potters, by continued use of moulds and with identical patterns, illustrated with images.  Finally, there are cross references to the Berthoud book images describing teapots, creamers and cups, either to agree or correct attributions, and images to compare with similar ware from other potteries.

Collector price £50  Airmail postage only £15  Credit card or Paypal
Contact Ian Harvey, 27 Landford Road, Putney, London SW15 1AQ
Email mailto: iph@harvey27.co.uk  Phone 0044 20 8789 7358 

Read Forward	Read Table of Contents	Read NCS Newsletter Review	Download order form

The Transferware Recorder Number 1 – Selected British Views

When Bill Coysh and Dick Henrywood assembled The Dictionary of Blue and White Printed Pottery back in 1982 they had no idea how popular the subject was to become. A second volume and books on transferware by other notable authors have followed. The Friends of Blue and the Transferware Collectors’ Club have reported new patterns and much other information, the latter particularly with their website and groundbreaking database of patterns, but there has been no further attempt to assemble our knowledge into reference form. The Transferware Recorder is intended to fill this gap.

Dick Henrywood has been researching transferware for more than three decades and he starts the Recorder with a selection of British views. This volume features the Acorn and Oak Leaf Borders series (Stevenson), the “Antique Scenery” series (Boyle), the Bluebell Border series (Clews), the Briggs Views series, the “British History” series (Jones), the Cheltenham series (Machin), the Cherub Medallion Border series (Herculaneum), the Fruit and Barley Border series, the “Irish Scenery” series (Elkins), the Large Scroll Border series (Riley), the Light Blue Rose Border series (Griffiths, Beardmore & Birks), the Minton Miniature series, the Morning Glory Border series, the Pineapple Border series (Meir), the States Border series (Clews), and the Tulip Border series. Some are well known, others virtually unrecorded; some made for domestic consumption, others for the American market. Every known view is listed, some titled, many identified, nearly all illustrated in colour. In many cases a source print from which the view was copied is also recorded and illustrated. A comprehensive list of items is provided, along with references to illustrations elsewhere.

This is a major new transferware initiative designed to expand into a comprehensive series of reference volumes, essential for collectors, researchers and dealers. For further information about ordering: www.transferprintedpottery.com.

Release date October 2013. Sewn paperback 240 x 170mm. 176 pages. 579 illustrations. Full colour. www.transferprintedpottery.com

Research and printing for this book were supported by the TCC Richards Foundation Research Grant Program. See other Richards Grant projects conducted by Dick Henrywood.