Art and Architecture Collection > Historic Pottery and Porcelain > Reference Resources by Topic:

Collector Guides

This type of publication has developed considerably since the 1970s. These guides reflect  expanded consumer interest in determining authenticity and value for specific ceramics. Price guides do become easily dated; however, they afford helpful visual and textual criteria for collecting various types of pottery and porcelain. The following titles are representative of the growing literature in this area:

Barber, Edwin Atlee. Anglo-American Pottery: Old English China with American Views; A Manual for Collectors. Philadelphia: Pattern & White Company, 1901. (MPGO)
This is an important early publication intended for collectors. It demonstrates the necessary descriptive information for a specialized line of pottery.  

Battie, David. David Battie’s Guide to Understanding 19th and 20th Century British Porcelain; Including Fakes, Techniques, and Prices. Woodbridge, UK: Antique Collector’s Club, 1994. (Open 3-MPGO 95-5905)
Exemplifies recent collector guides in its fine photos and details of particular note for collectors. Examines wares by type, e.g. bowls, plaques, vases, etc.

Beurdeley, Cécile. A Connoisseur’s Guide to Chinese Ceramics. New York: Harper & Row, 1975. (MPFF+ 75-1634)
A classical study of all the important elements that new collectors should know. Distinguishes between various ceramic forms, explains pottery marks, and introduces collectors to key periods, production changes, and geographic factors.

Copeland, Robert. Spode’s Willow Pattern and Other Designs after the Chinese. London: Studio Vista, 1999. (3-MPGO 00-2684)
Detailed analysis of the company’s Willow and related patterns, e.g. Mandarin, Rock, Buffalo, Long Bridge, and other Chinese idiom designs.  

Hayes, Allan and John Blom. Southwestern Pottery: Anazasi to Zuni. Flagstaff, AZ: Northland Publ., 1996. (HBC 99-7106)
Native American pottery from the tribes of the southwestern United States has become a vastly popular collectible. This reference guide introduces all the various forms of pottery available and relates them to earlier pottery forms and other ceramic antiquities.  

Klein, Adalbert. A; Connoisseur’s Guide to Japanese Ceramics. London: Alpine Fine Arts, 1984. (Open 3-MPFK+ 90-11010)
Huge visual survey of pottery and porcelain by period with emphasis on works made since the eighteenth century.

May, John. Commemorative Pottery, 1780-1900: A Guide for Collectors. New York: Scribner, 1972. (MPGO 74-741)
Describes one of the most collectible forms of pottery – specialty ceramics designed to memorialize historic and other special events in Britain, e.g. royal weddings, coronations, peace treaties, etc.  

Munsterberg, Hugo. The Ceramic Art of Japan; A Handbook for Collectors. Rutland, VT: C.E. Tuttle Co., 1964. (MPFK)
Landmark publication that established the various scholarly criteria for study and authentication of this pottery form.