Josiah Wedgewood rose from humble Staffordshire potter to national figure. Today, Wedgwood is a household name, world-famous for its pottery and china. This title traces the history of Wedgwood from the early days at Burslem.
Beautifully illustrated in colour and black and white, this book traces the history of the company from the middle of the 18th century and tells how jasper, black basalte, Queensware and many other Wedgwood products came into existence, including the dinner and dessert service of nearly 1000 pieces made for Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia.
Reviews: ‘I read this from cover to cover and learned so much. Despite being slightly “drybones” and academic it’s an easy read. It tells how the life and friendships of Josiah Wedgwood sparked his many technical and artistic innovations. I feel the weakness of the book is in failing to spell out exactly what these were. He unvented crucibles that researchers used to make strides forward in many branches of science, he transformed British dinner tables from pewter to ceramic, he created the British chamber of commerce and the Royal Society of the arts… Yet the book vaguely refers to these as if they are not the central aspects of his achievements. The photos introduced me to lots of Wedgwood wares I hadn’t known about and are very wisely selected. Despite my negative observations it’s definitely worth reading.‘ – Amazon review
‘I would recommend this to people with an interest in jasperware, requiring more coherent information than the Internet provides. Thanks !!!!!‘ – Amazon review
