A “cinematic volume. … To date, we have no comparable documentation of a single potter’s life.” – Studio Potter
An “extraordinary saga [recounted] in unprecedented detail … . Marvels of research more than a century in the making.” – Antiques & The Arts
“If you read one book on ceramics history this year, or even just one book on ceramics, make it A. Brandt Zipp’s densely researched and richly illustrated book about Thomas W. Commeraw … . Do yourself a favor: Read this book.” – BiblioPotter
In 2003, a chance encounter with a census record embarked me on a quest that has more or less consumed my research life ever since. The fruit of that labor is finally here! Commeraw’s Stoneware: The Life and Work of the First African-American Pottery Owner was designed from the beginning to be the definitive work on an important early American craftsman, abolitionist and (ultimately) hopeful founder of an African republic–a man who slipped through the fingers of history. For the first time in two hundred years, Commeraw’s Stoneware tells Thomas W. Commeraw’s fascinating life story from childhood to death. It also tells the story of the renowned Manhattan stoneware potters in a fresh way never before seen. Commeraw’s Stoneware can be ordered here from the publisher or here via Amazon.
Price: $95.
Commeraw’s Stoneware: The Life and Work of the First African-American Pottery Owner, by A. Brandt Zipp. Hardbound with cloth cover and dust jacket. 311 pages. 589 images. 8 1/2″ x 11″.