Buckland Books
 
With all the news on the latest tile and mosaic books
 
We have a whole lot of wonderful new books to tell you about this month, so let's not delay anymore:
 
Tiles:
 
 
We start off with two more new SHIRE ALBUMS:
 
0249 BATHROOM CERAMICS £4.50
 
Munroe Blair, Shire Pubns, 2002, 40pp, 136 colour + 6 b & w illus, booklet
 
Another superb Shire Colour Album, focusing on ceramic baths and basins, and complementing the same author’s excellent ‘Ceramic Water Closets’*, published last year. The excellent colour illustrations cover plain and highly decorated sanitary wares from Georgian times to the present day and the text places them in their contemporary setting. Recommended!
* ‘Ceramic Water Closets’ is still available, ref: 0373, price £4.50.
 
13124 MAUSOLEUMS £3.50
 
Dr Lynn F Pearson, Shire Pubns, 2002, 40pp, 62 b & w illus, booklet
 
Although the title may conjure up images of depressing stone memorials, this book is full of amazing and fascinating buildings built in memory of the dead, many of which were designed by renowned architects. Whilst most are of stone construction, terracotta and tiles get a worthy mention. My only carp is the use of b & w illustrations only, but this is remarkable value!
 
 
 
 
 
1647 IL PAVIMENTO MAIOLICATO DI SAN GIOVANNI A CARBONARA £4.95
 
Various authors, Electa, Italy, 1998, Italian text, 32pp, 21 colour + 7 b & w illus, booklet
 
A description of the magnificent maiolica tiled floor from San Giovanni a Carbonara, together with details of its recent restoration. Many of the tiles are reminiscent of the floor at the Vyne, Hampshire.
 
And now for a couple of titles for the tile makers among you!
 
 
 
 
0726 THE GLAZE BOOK, A Visual Catalogue of Decorative Ceramic Glazes £19.95
 
Stephen Murfitt, Thames and Hudson, March 2002, 288pp, 732 colour illus, spiral bound
 
This most-comprehensive book, contains recipes for glazes with illustrations of the fired results over a huge temperature range from earthenware to porcelain. Offering an almost limitless palette of colour, this book will prove invaluable to tile makers seeking new and exciting glazes for tile-making.
 
 
 
 
 
0370 CERAMICS AND PRINT (revised second edition) £12.99
 
Paul Scott, A & C Black, 2002, 144pp, 126 colour + 40 b & w illus, paperback
 
This is a fully revised and updated edition of what has become the standard work on printing and ceramics. Featuring many more colour illustrations than before, the range of techniques has also been extended, thus making this book an essential reference work for ceramists in general and tile makers in particular.
 
 
And a catalogue of the recent Poole Pottery Tile Sale:
 
 
 
 
 
1657 POOLE POTTERY TEA-ROOM TILES BY CARTER & CO £5.00
 
Anon, Richard Dennis, 2002, 8pp, 16 colour + 3 b & w illustrations, booklet
 
A catalogue of all the tiles salvaged from the now-demolished Poole Pottery Tea-Rooms. All 40 designs are illustrated in colour, many for the first time. Most are attributed to Edward Bawden and were painted by Phyllis Butler and Emily Dinsdale in 1932. Wonderfully evocative designs!
 
 
On the Mosaic front, we have:
 
 
 
 
 
0449 LES DEMEURES ARISTOCRATIQUE D’AQUITAINE £67.50
 
Catherine Balmelle, Ausonius, Maison de l’Archéologie, Bordeaux, France, 2002, French text, 497pp, 349 figures (maps, plans and photographs), 85 of which are in colour, cloth, dustwrapper
 
A superb study of the homes of the Roman aristocracy as witnessed by the remains found in the Aquitaine region of France. As mosaics were such an important part of the architectural decoration of such villas, they are covered in depth, with generally very good colour and black and white illustrations. This book places Roman mosaics firmly in their architectural setting. Recommended.
 
 
 
 
 
1409 MOSAÏQUE POUR MÉMOIRE, Catalogue of the 3rd Prix Picassiette £22.50
 
Various authors, Assoc les 3Rs, France, 2002, 89pp, 206 colour illus, A4 paperback
 
At last we now have copies of the report from the latest PRIX PICASSIETTE from Chartres.  This biennial prize has taken the bounds of mosaic art firmly into the 21sr century and this is amply illustrated in this latest superb catalogue. Truly inspirational!
 
 
And now for a few exciting things to look forward to!
 
 
 
 
 
2047 THE TILE: Making, Designing and Using £19.95
 
Kenneth Clark, MBE, Crowood, March 2002, 176pp, fully illus throughout in colour, boards
 
Kenneth Clark will be familiar to many as one of the UK’s leading craft tile-makers and designers. Who better to write a definitive work emphasising the range of techniques employed in making and designing tiles from antiquity to the present day? The book also gives practical instruction and reviews the work of leading contemporary tile designers. This looks set to become a best-seller! DUE APRIL 2002.
 
 
 
 
 
2048 TILES AND TILEWORK OF EUROPE £25.00
 
Alun Graves, V & A Publications, July 2002, c160pp, c180 colour + 20 b & w illus, cloth
 
This promises to be the best new tile book for some time! Featuring tiles, tile panels, and architectural schemes from around Europe, together with sections on manufacturing techniques, design influences, makers and much more. Further details when to hand. DUE JULY 2002.
 
 
 
 
 
0389 COSMATESQUE ORNAMENT, Flat Polychrome Geometric Patterns in Architecture £60.00
 
Paloma Pajares-Ayuela, Thames and Hudson, April 2002, 320pp, 569 illus including 377 in colour, cloth, dustwrapper
 
Known for their remarkable mosaic work, the ‘Cosmati’ stoneworkers of the 12th and 13th centuries left a legacy of some of the most beautiful ornament in the world. Distinguished by their complex geometric patterns, Cosmatesque designs can be found today in the churches of Rome and its environs, and as far afield as Westminster Abbey This book richly illustrates Cosmatesque monuments and techniques in over 300 pages of colour photographs, and defines their geometric and mathematical basis. It provides a revealing look at the state of building in Rome after the fall of the Empire; an analysis of the symbolic meaning behind the quincunx, the quintessential Cosmatesque design; a comparison of different sites; and a close examination of the Schola Cantorum in the Church of San Clemente, Rome. DUE APRIL 2002.
 
 
 
And now for something completely different!
 
ADVANCED MOSAIC COURSE:
 
Large scale wall mosaics
 
­ just two places left!

Mosaic artist Gary Drostle is running an advanced training day on Sunday March 10th at his studio in the centre of Greenwich, SE.London, looking at the specific issues relating to the construction of larger wall mosaics. The course costs just £80 for the day including lunch.

This course includes: A look at some large mosaics; techniques and materials for creating large work; Designing for large wall mosaics; The reverse method in large work; Assessing the site; risk assessment; preparing the cartoon; constructing mosaics that are bigger than your workspace; dividing the mosaic; packing and organising the works; Access equipment; suitable substrates; Fixing techniques and work programmes; Grouting and finishing.
Email: courses@drostle.com  to reserve your place now.
 
And don't forget the Tile Auction on 17 March!
 
For further details log on to: http://www.collectoronline.com/antiquetiles
 
 
Well, that's all for this month.  Do let us know what you think of the updates!
 
Yours
 
Chris Blanchett, Proprietor, Buckland Books
Holly Tree House, 18 Woodlands Road, LITTLEHAMPTON, West Sussex, BN17 5PP
England
Tel/Fax: +44 (0) 1903 717 648
E-mail: cblanchett@lineone.net