Book Review - Another First!

Ms. Kamm writes in a literate and somewhat amused style, remaining aware that modern readers might have difficulty relating to Victorian lifestyle and manners of its "polite society". She recommends reading historical fiction covering the era in order to gain insight and help place the items in one's own collection into context.

The book is lavishly illustrated with color photographs to illustrate every decoration style and item usage. A range of price values is given to reflect differences in regional markets. Manufacturers' marks are noted for the blank forms, and the artist's mark is noted as well.

I have few complaints about the book. A separate index of illustrated items with prices would be handier for the collector who needs a quick look-up of values when buying or selling. Some discussion of the artists whose identity has been ascertained would also be helpful. There were, of course, thousands of amateur artists who practiced the hobby of china painting over the course of fifty years, but some prominent artists have been adequately researched and the information would be interesting to collectors.

In all, I enjoyed reading and reviewing this new guide to American Painted Porcelain. I appreciated receiving it from the distributor, Krause Publications, who also publish a large number of guides to antiques and collectibles. They can be reached at Krause Publications or you can call (715) 445-2214 and ask for a catalog.

Go To Page: 1 2