Potter's Craft: A Practical Guide for the Studio and Workshop

by Charles Fergus Binns

Paperback: 171 pages
Publisher: Gentle Breeze Publishing (2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1-889250-33-3
Dimensions: 7.5" x 5.0" x 0.5"
Shipping Weight: 0.73 lbs.

"It was with the publication, in 1910, of The Potter's Craft, a practical guide for the studio and workshop, that [Charles Fergus Binns'] influence multiplied and reached all those people who were becoming interested in ceramics but could not come to college. One could say that with this book the existence of the "studio potter" began. The Potter's Craft was really the first book in America (truly definitive about all aspects of ceramics art), that actually helped people get into ceramics in a serious way. It also set the basic structure for many books on ceramics that followed, some of which also became landmarks in the field. [...] He begins with a statement about philosophy and ideas, followed by a brief survey of the history of ceramics. This leads to a discussion of the nature of clay, clay types, clay-body making, etc. He follows with an in-depth description of forming processes like moldmaking and casting, hand-building, throwing, sculpture and tile making. Next is a valuable section on glaze calculation, glaze making, decorative techniques, glaze defects, etc. The book ends with information about firing, kilns, kiln-building, etc. and lastly some notes about sources for materials and equipment. All that sounds familiar because subsequent books followed Binns' initial example."—Val Cushing