Welcome to our curated collection of rare and out-of-print books. Here, you'll find a treasure trove of specialist titles, from exclusive exhibition catalogues to artist biographies and poetry collections. A perfect selection for collectors and those passionate about studio ceramics and glass.
If you would like to buy more than one copy of a book, please email us at info@joannabird.com.
Books - click images to enlarge
Fired with Passion – Contemporary Japanese Ceramics
Fired with Passion – Contemporary Japanese Ceramics
£35
Fired with Passion: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics is a visually rich and thoughtfully curated exploration of Japan’s post-1945 ceramic art scene. Authored by collector Samuel J. Lurie and dealer Beatrice L. Chang, this 2006 publication from Eagle Art Publishing presents over 230 full-color photographs of works selected from major Japanese institutions and esteemed Western collections. The approximately 150 works offer a non-academic, accessible analysis of each piece, aiming to enhance aesthetic appreciation. The book includes a historical survey of Japanese ceramics, providing context for the contemporary works featured.
Julian Stair Studio Catalogue
£20
Published by Stair in 2010, this catalogue showcases a compelling selection of installations by the artist Julian, ranging from intimate studio pieces to monumental works acquired by the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (mima). Featuring an introduction by Stair and richly illustrated throughout, the book offers a behind-the-scenes look at Julian’s studio and creative process – including giant works fired at the brickworks factory in Sedgley.
Edmund de Waal at Kettle’s Yard and Elsewhere
Edmund de Waal at Kettle’s Yard and Elsewhere
£20
This 139 page catalogue was published for a series of exhibitions at Kettle’s Yard in celebration of its 50th birthday, and coincided with Chatsworth’s newly commissioned installation facilitated by Joanna Bird, illustrated in the last section of this book. The book includes forewords by the directors of Kettle’s Yard’s and mima, Michael Harrison and Godfrey Worsdale, respectively. It also includes essays by Jorunn Veiteberg and Helen Waters, with a number of large plates photographed by Helene Binet, of the exhibitions at Kettle’s Yard, mima, Chatsworth, private collections and Edmund’s studio. It concludes with a conversation held between Edmund and the architect of his new studio, David Hills, and Kettle’s Yard’s curator Elizabeth Fisher.
Shoji Hamada, Master Potter
£40
Shoji Hamada has a global reputation as the modern Japanese artist-potter par excellence and as one of the most important core members of the Mingei (Japanese Folkcraft) movement. He is porbably best known in Britain for his collaboration with Bernard Leach at St Ives in the early 1920s; their lifelong friendship has been regarded by many as the epitome of the meeting of East and West.
The texts by English and Japanese authors provide much new source material as well as a critical appraisal of Hamada as a pioneer of modern craft. Sixty illustrations encompass many pieces from public and private collections in Japan, England and Wales never previously reproduced; they range from teabowls, teapots and vases displaying Hamada’s characteristic brushwork, through to magnificent platters which show off his virtuosity with clay and glaze at its finest.
The North Sketch Sequence Chatsworth
£15
The North Sketch Sequence by ceramic artist Jacob van der Beugel is without doubt the most important art installation at Chatsworth since the creation of the Sculpture Gallery in 1832 and the most ambitious permanent ceramic installation ever to be constructed in a Grade 1 listed house. The 20 metre long gallery is covered with textured, handmade, ochre coloured ceramic panels; using samples from the Duke and Duchess, their son the Earl of Burlington and his wife the Countess of Burlington, the panels are embedded with a depiction of the Devonshire family’s DNA. Aspects of each individual’s personality are captured on raised ceramic blocks representing their personal DNA strand in an unusual and creative take on the traditional portrait.
2014
Elizabeth Fritsch
£20
In November 2008, The Fine Art Society in London, in association with Joanna Bird Pottery, presented Elizabeth Fritsch: A Sort of Listening, a solo exhibition showcasing 33 ceramic works by Fritsch. This exhibition marked Fritsch’s return to the London art scene after an eight-year hiatus, her previous solo show being in 2000. The exhibition featured 33 distinctive pieces that exemplified her unique approach to ceramics, blending architectural form with intricate surface patterns. This accompanying catalogue, with an essay from Andrew Lambirth, provides further insights into her work.
The Fine Art Society in Association with Joanna Bird Pottery
Contains an essay from Andrew Lambirth
2008
Something out of Nothing
£15
The ceramic assemblages in this catalogue were made within a year, but they draw on a collection of ceramics gathered together over three decades – things bought, found, commissioned and given. The twenty-five piece series encompasses 18th-century shipwrecked porcelain, Sardinian, Spanish and Turkish tiles, Dresden figurines, Chinese votive offerings, Armitage Shanks sanitary ware, Minton and Spode, a 2000-year-old Han Dynasty horse’s head and present day seaside knick-knacks.
These pieces play on specific cultural associations the ‘resonance of the far-flung objects from which they have been made. As a group they call into question what we consider authentic and regard as kitsch; they also invite us to re-evaluate some of the assumptions which – taken for granted – collectively constitute taste. The accompanying essays amplify the thinking behind each of the assemblages, and the catalogue also includes ten poems written in response to ceramics, six of which have appeared in collections published over the last fifteen years. Gathered together here for the first time these poems, assemblages and essays investigate how we look at ceramic, and ask how seriously we should take them.
Gregory Warren Wilson is a glass artist and poet. He has published six collections of poetry, and a book of fables. His visual art is represented by the Joanna Bird Gallery.
Bowl
£100
This volume documents the work of Rupert Spira, a leading ceramic artist. It covers his early and middle career, tracing its development from his training under Henry Hammond and Michael Cardew, two of the great studio potters of the twentieth century, to an exhibition tour of Japan.
Included are essays by Emmanuel Cooper, John Hutchinson, Edward Lucie-Smith, Edmund de Waal and interviews between Daphne Astor and Spira.
Over 100 colour images illustrate the development of Spira’s work from earthy, robust pots to his spiritual poem bowls and how his work came to reflect his philosophical and creative evolution.
Published by the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, 2004.
Venice By Night
£40
The twenty-five glass pieces shown here were inspired by Venice – a place that has long been a crucible for artists. Unusually, however, the pieces in this series were all made in response to Venice as seen by night.
Ranging from sunset to dawn, they form a vividly colourful and evocative sequence of nocturnal images. Many incorporate the gold and silver leaf that are still being hand-beaten in Venice.
Interleaved between these illustrations is a series of twelve short essays which articulate some of the artist’s experiences in La Serenissima – a city where, over the last five decades, Gregory has spent a good portion of his life.
Gregory Warren Wilson was a classical violinist. He has published six collections of poetry, and a book of fables. His visual art is represented by the Joanna Bird Gallery.
Signed, limited edition of 75
2024
Marking the Line: Ceramics and Architecture
Marking the Line: Ceramics and Architecture
£25
Marking the Line: Ceramics and Architecture explores the dynamic relationship between contemporary ceramics and historic architecture. Four leading ceramicists — Carina Ciscato, Nicholas Rena, Christie Brown, and Clare Twomey — were invited to create site-specific works within Sir John Soane’s Museum, a house designed as an educational repository for art and architecture. Curated by Joanna Bird, the exhibition traveled to two other Soane-designed houses — Port Eliot in Cornwall and Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing — further enriching the conversation between ceramics, space, and legacy.
Lavishly illustrated with stunning photography by Hélène Binet and with essays by Joanna Bird, the Duke of Devonshire, Alun Graves, Dr Jerzy Kierkuć-Bieliński, Tim Knox and Eric Parry, this beautifully produced catalogue captures the essence of the exhibition, highlighting how contemporary makers responded to Soane’s architectural vision and curatorial strategies. From Nicholas Rena’s luminous bowls that echo Soane’s use of concealed light to Clare Twomey’s conceptual exploration of legacy through 1,000 bone china bowls, Marking the Line invites readers to reflect on the timeless interplay between art, craft, and architecture. A must-have for collectors, artists, and enthusiasts of ceramics and design.
Essays by Joanna Bird, Stoker Devonshire, Alun Graves, Dr Jerzy Kierkuć-Bieliński, Tim Knox and Eric Parry
Curated by Joanna Bird
Photography by Hélène Binet
2013
Rights of Passage
£10
The exhibition catalogue from Rights of Passage, an exhibition at the Joanna Bird Gallery in 2023.
This exhibition brings critical insight into the evolution of twentieth-century ceramics from the British tradition. It centres around innovations in style and an artistic inheritance passed from master to apprentice. The incorporation of works by artists from continental Europe and Japan allows visitors to discover the diverse and intersecting influences on artistic development, and Joanna draws out the cultural lineages embedded in contemporary works through careful curation and juxtaposition with historic pieces.
The Rites of Passage catalogue includes works by several contemporary artists: Emmanuel Boos, Carina Cisato, Hanne Heuch, Akiko Hirai, Tom Perkins, William Plumptre, Matthew Warner and Gregory Warren Wilson. Also exhibited are works by past masters: Richard Batterham, Michael Cardew, Bernard Leach and Lucie Rie.
Point of Balance
£10
The exhibition highlighted the work of artists renowned for their mastery of material, as well as emerging voices pushing boundaries in contemporary craft. Featured artists include: Dawn Benedict, Halima Cassell, Joanna Constantinidis, Steffen Dam, Pippin Drysdale, Elizabeth Fritsch, Florian Gadsby, Sun Kim, Lucille Lewin, Tom Perkins, Katharine Pleydell-Bouverie, Lucie Rie, Rupert Spira, Kaja Upelj, Charles Vyse, Matthew Warner, and Gregory Warren Wilson.
Collect 2025
£10
For its twenty-first year exhibiting at COLLECT, Joanna Bird Gallery curated an exclusive exhibition that displayed the limitless possibilities of studio glass. Six exceptional glass artists were chosen from around the globe to explore the contrasting techniques and philosophies that define the art of glassmaking — bringing together diverse approaches that surprise, intrigue, and delight.
In this beautifully designed catalogue, each artist shares insights into their creative processes, the inspirations behind their works, and the philosophies that guide their practice. The featured artists — Steffen Dam, Katya Izabel Filmus, Joseph Harrington, Laura de Santillana, Kaja Upelj, and Gregory Warren Wilson — represent a global cross-section of talent, each offering a unique perspective on the interplay between material, form, and expression.
Collect 2023
£10
In March 2023, Joanna Bird Contemporary Collections presented a distinguished exhibition at COLLECT 2023, held at Somerset House, London. This showcase featured a curated selection of studio ceramics, glass, and sculpture, highlighting both established masters and emerging talents. The exhibition celebrated the enduring legacy of iconic artists such as Michael Cardew, Bernard Leach, Lucie Rie, Lucille Lewin, Rupert Spira and Elizabeth Fritsch, while also introducing innovative works by contemporary artists including Emmanuel Boos, Dawn Bendick, Halima Cassell, Steffen Dam, Hanne Heuch, Antyhony Scala, Kaja Upelj, Matthew Warner, and Gregory Warren Wilson. The fair provided a platform for these artists to engage with a global audience, reaffirming COLLECT’s status as a premier event for contemporary craft and design.