These are books that I have in my collection and I highly reccomend. They are available for purchase from Amazon through my website. If you have any books about clay that you love, I'd love to hear about them!
General Ceramics Books
- A Potter's Workbook by Clary Illian.
- A great book exploring form for potters of all levels.
- The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques by Frank and Janet Hamer.
- All-around useful reference. Answers most questions or point you in the right direction.
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- Functional Pottery Form and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose by Robin Hopper.
- Ten Thousand Years of Pottery by Emmanuel Cooper.
- The Craft and Art of Clay by Susan Peterson.
- Ceramics: A Potter's Handbook by Glenn C. Nelson.
- This is the textbook we used at Earlham College.
- The Craft of the Potter A Practical Guide to Making Pottery by Michael Casson.
- Practical Solutions for Potters by Gill Bliss.
Technical Clay and Glaze Books
These aren't in any particular order -- they each give different sorts of information.
- Soda Glazing by Ruthanne Tudball.
- This little book is the only one I know of devoted solely to soda firing. Good overview and some recipes.
- Out of the Earth Into the Fire A Course In Ceramic Materials for the Studio Potter by Mimi Obstler.
- I've heard the new edition has color pictures, which would be nice. The old edition is out of print. This book helped me to bridge the gap between my knowledge of geology and my knowledge of clay materials.
- The Potter's Palette A practical guide to creating over 700 illustrated and glaze and slip colors by Christine Constant and Steve Ogden.
- While I don't use this book for formulating glazes, I think it does a good job of illustrating the qualities of each oxide/colorant.
- Clay and Glazes for the Potter 3rd edition by Daniel Rhodes, Revised and Expanded by Robin Hopper.
Books On Specific Artists and Traditions
- Centering In Pottery, Poetry, and the Person by M.C. Richards.
- Shoji Hamada A Potter's Way and Work by Susan Peterson.
- The Japanese Pottery Handbook by Penny Simpson, Lucy Kitto, and Kanji Sodeoka.
- Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery by Rich Dillingham, Foreward by J.J. Brody.
- Ceramics of the Islamic World in the Tareq Rajab Museum by Geza Fehervari.
Books On the Business of Art
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- The Potter's Professional Handbook The Complete Guide to Defining, Identifying, and Establishing Yourself in the Craft Community by Steve Branfman.
- The Business of Art by Lee Caplin.
- Crafting As a Business by Wendy Rosen.
- Legal Guide for the Visual Artist The Professional's Handbook by Tad Crawford.