Pottery Marks

Geoffrey Godden's Encyclopaedia of Pottery and Porcelain Marks is the definitive book on this subject and is incredibly comprehensive. It's one of the best reference books we own and is invaluable for anyone who is serious about British ceramics. This book covers commercial potteries only, not studio potteries.

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Studio Pottery Marks

Yates-Owen and Fourniers' Encyclopaedia of Studio Pottery Marks is the most comprehensive guide to British studio pottery marks available. Our copy is well used and it is an essential book for studio pottery enthusiasts. It is not a lightweight edition, but is invaluable for research and identification.

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Moorcroft Pottery

Moorcroft: A Guide to Moorcroft Pottery 1897-1993. Paul Atterbury's book is the reference book for all things Moorcroft. It is generously illustrated with large, colour photographs and contains pattern sheets and other essential reference material for the Moorcroft collector or dealer. An excellent book that is also a pleasure to browse through.

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Poole Pottery

In this book, Paul Atterbury turns his attention to Poole Pottery. As with his other pottery reference guides, this book is the most comprehensive source of information about Poole Pottery I have found and is well researched, beautifully illustrated and includes lots of detail on patterns, shapes, artists' marks and important dates. Highly recommended.

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Troika Pottery

Relatively little has been published on the history of Troika Pottery. George Perrott's Troika Ceramics of Cornwall is the best available book on the subject and includes useful guides to artists' marks and shapes. It does include price information, too, although this is inevitably somewhat out of date, as with many price guides.

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Keith Murray

Keith Murray, Designer, is the best general reference guide on the ceramic and glass work of Keith Murray, a New Zealand-born architect who made his name as a designer in the 1930s. It includes a good, comprehensive guide to Murray's ceramic work at Wedgwood, as well as his glass (Stevens and Williams Glass Works) and silver (Mappin and Webb) work. This is a useful book and is conveniently sized for carrying around.

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PenDelfin Rabbits

The most useful reference book for PenDelfin collectors is the Pendelfin Collector's Handbook. Written by the well-known PenDelfin expert and specialist auctioneer, Stella Ashbrook, it covers production from the pottery's foundation up until around the first few years of this century.

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For a more intimate and detailed history of PenDelfin, I would recommend the late Jean Walmsley Heap's book, Pendelfin Story: The Story of a Hobby. Jean was one of the founders of PenDelfin and the designer of some of its most successful pieces. She tells the story with a touch of humour and a genuine passion that is very engaging.

SylvaC

There are several books about SylvaC available currently. The two most comprehensive general reference guides are The SylvaC Illustrated Collectors Handbook by Anthony Van Der Woerd and The SylvaC Story: With Price Guide by Susan Jean Verbeek.

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If you are looking for a specialist guide to SylvaC animals only, then SylvaC Animals, by Mick and Derry Collins, is the definitive guide. Mick and Derry run the SylvaC Collectors Club in the UK and are extremely passionate and knowledgeable SylvaC collectors.

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Carlton Ware Pottery

The most useful Carlton Ware book we own is A Pocket Guide to Carlton Ware, by Czes and Yvonne Kosniowski. Well-known Carlton Ware collectors, they have produced this extremely comprehensive guide to shapes, patterns and backstamps in a format that will fit in your coat pocket - ideal for buying trips.

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If you are looking for an introduction to Carlton Ware, then the best book currently on the market is Collecting Carlton Ware (Carlton Ware Collectors Handbook). Written by David Serpell, it provides a guide to the pottery and an overview of the main types of ware produced. A good general reference guide for new collectors.

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Shelley Pottery

Collecting Shelley Pottery, by Robert Prescott-Walker, is a good general guide to the history and wares of Shelley. Well illustrated, it includes plenty of examples of patterns, dates and other important information for collectors. The emphasis is on 20th century wares.

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Schiffer Publishing publish several more specialised books on Shelley, including Shelley Tea Ware Patterns. This is the definitive reference guide to Shelley and Wileman tea wares - it has 248 pages, nearly 800 photos and numerically lists tea ware patterns from the early Wileman period (before the Shelley brand was conceived) through to 1966, when the factory closed. Well worth it for the serious collector or dealer.

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Clarice Cliff

Clarice Cliff is one of the best-known names in 20th century ceramics. Famed for her bold, colourful Art Deco styles, her work has become very popular over the last twenty years. As a result, there are a number of books on the market covering Clarice Cliff's life, work and providing reference guides to patterns and shapes for which she was responsible. In our experience, the best overall book on Clarice Cliff is Clarice Cliff: The Bizarre Affair, by Leonard Griffin. Griffin is a recognised expert on Clarice Cliff and this book is both good reading and a good reference source. Naturally, it is very well illustrated.

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For anyone who is particularly interested in Clarice Cliff tea (and coffee) wares, then Leonard Griffin's book Taking Tea With Clarice Cliff is a must-have. As its name suggests, it focuses on Cliff's tea ware designs and includes a comprehensive guide to tea ware designs as well as background history on Clarice Cliff's life and work.

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Denby Pottery

Denby Pottery 1809-1997: Dynasties and Designers - this book is the definitive reference guide to Denby Pottery. It covers the pottery's output up to 1997 and provides a good mixture of historical information and technical detail. Ranges, designers and marks are all well documented and we always turn to this book for information about Denby Pottery.

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Martin Brothers

The definitive book on this highly-collectable art pottery is The Martin Brothers, Potters, by Malcolm Haslam. This is a true reference book and combines historical information with the kind of technical information that is invaluable to collectors. It is also well illustrated and a please to browse through.

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Crown Devon

Crown Devon: History of S. Fielding & Co, by Susan Hill, is a large, hardback, glossy reference book covering the complete history of Fielding & Co. Well illustrated, it contains information on pattern and shape numbers that I haven't found elsewhere and is well illustrated and interesting to read. There is also the Crown Devon Collectors Handbook, a smaller paperback book with approximately 120 pages.

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Langley Mill Pottery

The history of the Langley Mill pottery is surprisingly rich. The Langley Mill Pottery: Its History and Wares, is a detailed, richly-illustrated guide written by John and Jenifer Giblin. It is very comprehensive and the definitive book on both the history and the wares of the pottery. Includes information about patterns, shapes and pottery markings, along with date guides. A lovely book to look through and essential for serious collectors.