Simon Leach's Pottery Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Throwing Beautiful, Functional Pots

by Simon Leach, Bruce Dehnert, Jared Flood (Photographer)

Overview

“Among how-to books, this volume stands out. This gem is as carefully honed as the skills it seeks to share.” —American Craft
“For those of us who learn best with a combo of text and demonstrations, Simon Leach’s new book is the perfect fit.” —Ceramics Monthly

In Simon Leach’s Pottery Handbook—a book-and-DVD package—world-renowned ceramicist and YouTube sensation Simon Leach presents clear tutorials and loads of original instruction on all the core techniques, including studio setup, basic throwing, applying appendages, trimming, glazing, and firing.

At one time or another, every potter gets frustrated at the wheel. Whether struggling to center the clay or attach a handle with precision, potters of all levels crave advice and answers, and Leach has plenty to give. Topics covered include:

• Setting Up the Studio
• Handling Clay
• The Basic Cylinder
• Cylinder Variations
• Trimming Pots
• Assembling Complex Forms
• Decorative Techniques
• Glazes
• Kilns and Firing
• And more!

For each technique, detailed step-by-step photography captures the subtle, intricate movements that typically fly by too fast to be learned when watching a video lesson; callouts then lead readers to the relevant video on the DVD so they can see the technique demonstrated in real time—an ideal combination that makes learning from the master easy.

Leach writes in his introduction, “As you dive into this book, try to enjoy the sheer pleasure of working with your hands—an act I believe gives balance to our lives, and is a good antidote to too much intellectualizing. . . . Keep practicing! Soon enough, the walls of your pots will be consistent, the lips will be even, and you’ll see that the creations emerging from your hands get better and better with time.”

Useful for beginners and full of information for experienced potters, this is a full-color, how-to manual that will be read and reread.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617690228
Publisher:	STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book
Publication date:	05/07/2013
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	220,058
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 9.70(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Simon Leach is an internationally celebrated third-generation ceramicist, descended from the renowned Leach family of Cornwall, England. He can be seen online, demystifying techniques at his potter’s wheel in his more than 800 YouTube videos (simonleachpottery.com). He also teaches hands-on workshops throughout the country. He lives in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania.


Bruce Dehnert is the head of the ceramics program at Peters Valley Craft Center in New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

After eschewing the family craft for an engineering apprenticeship, events led Leach back to his kin’s near-century-old relationship with the kiln. In 2007, he began posting videos of conversations about pottery on YouTube. Over 800 postings later, he has produced a definitive guide for every step of pottery making, from styling small tools to building one’s own kiln. The beginner would likely be overwhelmed at the directions for use of kick vs. electric vs. treadle wheels, or the act of digging one’s own clay from random rural samples. Those novices can consider this an inclusive dive into a not-so-exclusive club, where some members make their aunt a birthday bowl, and others ponder the ins and outs of decorating and glazing, cylinder variations, and pyrometric cone charts. A four-hour-long DVD completes the package. (May 7)

Publishers Weekly