The Best Pottery Books on my Bookshelf...
One of my Pottery Club members (thanks Richard!) suggested I write a blog post about the best pottery books I have on my book shelf - what a splendid idea! I’ve been reading and collecting pottery books for 15 years now, as a self taught potter, it’s where I garnered most of my knowledge. You can’t beat taking a pottery book to bed to get you inspired for what to make the next day.
This list is not exhaustive by any means, (I have about 50 books Pottery Books on my book shelf) but these are the books I find myself referring back to the most often, they span the breath of making from hand building to throwing and decoration. Needless to say you don’t have to buy from Amazon - shop around for the best price - I have merely linked to the books here for ease. I hope you find them useful on your own pottery journey…
“This is ‘the book I wish I’d had when I started out.”
Pottery for Beginners by Kara Leigh Ford
I’m going to start at the beginning… (plus it would be remiss of me not to mention my own book on this list ;-), my publishers wouldn’t be very happy with me if I left it out - ha ha!) As a self taught potter (I did go to art school but I didn’t touch clay until after I graduated) I wrote this book for anyone who has ever dreamed about delving into pottery but isn’t sure where to begin. With this book, I aim to make pottery approachable for complete newcomers as well as budding potters in search of inspiration. I am close enough to the start of my pottery journey to remember what it was like to be a beginner and how scary and overwhelming all the new confusing terms were (like, what is the difference between earthenware and stoneware anyway?) I have learnt all the lessons the hard way. I wrote the book I wish I had when I first started; I not only explain how to do things, I explain why. Beginning with hand building and moving onto the wheel, I explain how to set up a creative corner on different budgets and all the essentials for glazing and firing your pots. All the projects in the book create stand alone pieces but are designed to build on the skills of the one preceding it. Even if you are a burgeoning studio potter, I believe there is always something we can learn from each other. I share many ‘pro-tips’ from my own studio that I’ve picked up in my years as a full-time potter. I really did put a lot of work into it. You can find out more about my book here.
Often our own homemade special tools are the ones we cannot live without…
Potters are some of the most ingenious folks you can find. Often, our own homemade special tools are the ones we cannot live without and some of the best tools and tricks tend to be the simplest. This book is a compendium of tips and tricks compiled by potters themselves. Spanning studio setup, gadgets, making, surfaces, and business. It offers so many homemade, economical ways to make your own tools and improve the efficiencies in your studio. A couple of my personal favs are: 'using a pasta roller to make slabs', 'using a pool noodle to organise your tools', 'Using a fish tank heater to keep your throwing water warm', and check out top tip no. 047 from Clay Cunningham on Throwing Tall, page 79.
This book has shot up in price in recent months, maybe because it’s out of print and demand is high. Shop around for the best price. I’ll be hanging on to mine for sure.
We go from one end of the price scale to the other…but don’t let this cheap little book fool you into thinking it’s of low value, oh no! As any potter worth their salt glaze will tell you - MAKING DETAILED NOTES IS ESSENTIAL!!! As potters we need to make notes on everything, from the weights of clay we use for each form, to dimensions of designs, dates of orders, glaze combinations and kiln schedules. I’d love to say it’s all in my head but that would be a lie. This book is where to note down all your pottery trials (and errors) keeping your brain space free to daydream about a bigger kiln/ studio/…RV whatever!
This is a bible for anyone who’s keen to advance as a hand-builder. This book covers the basics as well as the more advanced hand-building processes, with featured artists and detailed projects for construction and decoration . This book even includes templates which can be photocopied and enlarged for creating forms. I loved the hand stretches that Sunshine shares in the book, those kinds of exercises are equally helpful to hand-builders and throwers alike. You are guaranteed to want pick up this book time and time again. Sunshine’s work is as cheerful and vibrant as their name suggests, proving (as if there was any doubt) that you can be a master potter without a wheel - go check her out on IG @shinygbird
This is the book for those who want to think deeply about their throwing. Illian talks the reader through considering the space inside the pot as much as the form itself. Finding the ‘truth’ in the pot and learning to see ceramics fully. What really makes a successful pot a successful pot? Illian discusses in detail here. All the exercises in the book are training you to be able to produce the pots you can see in your mind’s eye. The way she writes about pottery is beautiful and philosophical but never grandiose or pretentious. I found it surprising to find black and white photography alongside the prose but this is done with absolute purpose - to focus the reader fully on the forms and not get distracted by glaze colours. I loved this book. It instantly made me want to sit at my wheel and follow along with her teachings. It will push you to become a better potter. I will read it again, and again.
This book is a treasure trove for those who love texture. Hilda generously talks you through the many techniques for carving clay she uses herself in her studio to create her minimal yet striking pottery. The photography is clear and beautiful and the 16 step-by-step projects will have you covering your creative space with clay cut offs in no time. Hilda’s background in stage design informs her carefully thought-out surface designs. Her meditative and absorbing process teaches you how to carve forms from mugs to candlesticks. This is an inspiring book to refer to if you’re stuck for ideas.
Firing to cone 6 (mid-range glazes) are often the most practical, affordable and easily available of all the glazes. John Britt’s book provides professional and hobby potters with working knowledge of recipes, application, firing schedules, glaze chemistry and loads more. I love John’s down to earth explanations, he provides literally 100s of recipes for the cone 6 artist. I have used several of his recipes from within it’s pages to great success and am a huge fan of his firing cycles. Check out the book alongside John’s YouTube channel, (he has an excellent accent.)
I’ve been a fan of Linda for years. In 2019 I was lucky enough to attend one of her in person workshops in my home county of Devon where she helped me develop my own range of crystalline glazes, which I still use to this day. This book is packed full of recipes for all types of glazes from earthenware to cone 10 plus clay body recipes. With extremely clearly laid out recipes and corresponding test tiles, if you are looking for inspiration for some new glazes look no further. My own copy of this book has about 20 Post-it notes sticking out the top, marking the glazes I want to try next. Linda’s chemistry knowledge is second to none, she can simply look at a glaze and work out what’s in it (I am not kidding!) Her generosity with her knowledge knows no bounds and I was thrilled that Linda kindly agreed to write the foreword for my book ‘Pottery for Beginners’ . This book needs to be on every potter’s shelf.
As I said, this list is by no means exhaustive and in my opinion you can never have too many pottery books but as just a few of my favs, this list will start you off with some serious pottery geekery. I hope you enjoy reading them. If you have any recommendations for pottery books you’ve enjoyed then share them in the comments below.