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

I am a self taught potter, and have done so mostly on my own by reading books and practicing. One thing I found frustrating when I was learning was that often times books would assume I knew things that I didn't. This book is very good at describing the basics of the craft, and covers more than most books do. It is very much how Simon does things, and doesn't try to present every way of doing things, so it is a good place to start and doesn't get overwhelming. The book excels at describing most of what one needs to do to make pottery as well as explaining many of aspects of the craft. For example, I appreciate the page describing basic glaze types (celadon, tenmoku, shino, etc.) because things like that are often left out, the books assuming the reader already knows such basics, (like how to make a plaster slab and why you need one). Simon does well not to make such assumptions.Most of the book is step by step projects, like how to throw a pitcher or how to throw a bowl, but there are many other sections covering things like decorating, tool making, glazing, and kilns and firing. Some things are only covered in a very brief overview, like glaze faults. It is less of a technical manual and more of a how-to handbook (focused on forming the pots primarily). The book is very visually designed, great for visual learners (as artists often are). Many books seem to forget this fact, so I appreciate how visual this book is (it even has DVD videos). The spiral binding is also a very nice detail, something more books should do. Many of my other favorite pottery books are falling apart due to cheap bindings.My primary criticism would be that I would have liked a little more detail on the technical side of things throughout the book. I had hoped for more clay and glaze recipes, more tool construction like how to make a trimming tool or even a throwing stick. How to exactly do a reduction firing. More kiln types and techniques for firing them. A section on marketing would have been nice simply because the book covers so many other aspects of the craft often left out in beginner handbooks. I'd have liked to see more than one technique for several things mentioned, like forming handles or trimming. That said, no book can have it all and there are other books that cover these aspects in great detail. The videos accompanying the book are very helpful, though the resolution is a bit poor (it is good enough though).For the price of the book it is an excellent value, a bargain really. I've paid twice the price for books that were much less thorough. If you are a beginner or student, perhaps overwhelmed or confused by where to start or how do do certain things, this would be a very helpful addition to your library. For others who are more experienced the book can still offer new ways to do things or be used to help teach others. This book is thorough, well designed, well structured, and quite succinct. The merits far out weigh the flaws, and it would be a valuable addition your pottery library.~Trenton

Great information from an excellent potter, complete with videos

It’s one thing to be born to pottery but a natural-born teacher, too?! Anyone coming to this book having not first encountered Simon Leach through his videos, get thee to the Internet. This guy is a gift and such a charming and talented videographer of himself “in flagrante.” A labor of love, really—to so painstakingly and thoroughly dispense the fine points of every grunt and lunge, every subtle “apropos” of the thumbs and hands and fingers, every aspect of kneading, wheel throwing, pot decorating, glazing and glaze making, and so much more—even a bit of philosophy to boot. And if all that were not enough, how simply delightful a man is this. I’m convinced he could read the phone book and make it fun. (I wouldn’t mind watching paint dry with him!) It’s not just what he knows about pottery and how he knows it and how he talks about it and more importantly, shows it (up close! bringing the camera in tight on the wheel head!), the man himself is kind, funny, down to earth, humble, unpretentious, disciplined yet wild.And oh the book! The book is beautifully and abundantly photographed bearing the same riveting and effective blend of showing and telling that comes through in the videos. It's hard to better what is available on Simon’s youtube site, but the book is a wonderful complement to the 900 plus videos. The spiral binding is great for using the book in the studio and is a great resource for anyone trying to figure out the how and what of this very primal, this humble, this exhilarating stuff called clay.

First, it is spiral bound meaning that it lays flat on a table. This should be the format for all 'How To...' books! Thank you, Simon Leach!Next, it is laid out in an organized, beautiful design filled with very practical and easy to understand instruction, tips and facts every potter should know. The accompanying photos are all but self explanatory and a pleasure to look at. The book has more than a generous amount of photos of sample ware produced by the author which illustrate his instructions in the book and the included DVDs.I found the book rather humorous in places, possibly not where the author might expect, however. For instance, two-thirds of the page where he describes making an ash glaze is actually a description of how to build a fire to collect the ash. If you purchase the book and read that section, I hope you will understand.Simon Leach, as anyone who has watched his many YouTube videos can testify to, is a character that is at times funny, irreverent, and very talented. While his videos can end up going off in several directions, but this book is put together very well and moves from beginning tasks to finishing touches without deviation.My only desire for the book would have been to include more videos, but that would entail more expense, I suspect.Get the book, you won't regret it!

If you have followed Mr. Leach on you-tube, this is a great companion book. The pictures.are clear, explanations succinct, content comprehensive. Throwing, surface decoration, workspace layout, firing tips, and a raku kiln plan...Basic answers to most questions you may have without a lot of complicated information. Great book to start with.

The book content is wonderful. Great information for the inexperienced to the experience potter. He does a great job illustrating the entire process and different techniques.The bad part is the condition the book arrived. The front cover had a gouge in it and the back cover had something smeared all over it. Really ruins this beautiful book.

So many reasons to like about this book But definitely the simple step-by-step photos make it one of the best pottery books that I own. I came across Simon Leach’s videos on YouTube and was really impressed with how he explained things - he’s a natural teacher. He also learned from master potters so it’s great to see some of the finished design techniques he uses that you might not get from other pottery classes. How to roll a rim on a bowl, make perfect pouring spouts on your pitchers and teapots.

Bought as birthday gift. Recipient very pleased

excellent book :: must have

Está genial, pena que no esté traducido, pero si sabes inglés no hay problema. Al principio se centra en modelado con torno. Además viene con dos CDs para completar el texto.

I just bought 6 pottery books and this one is one of my favorite (I also liked "Mastering the Potter's Wheel")! It is very complete, easy to read, very well illustrated and It comes with 2 DVDs. Loved it!