This book, written by Edmund De Waal, is a visual guide that documents ceramics, from pots dating 10,000 BC, to modern pieces created in the 2000s. Each vessel has a full page photo, with a short description to place it within the context of its time. This layout makes this hefty book digestible and a great way to appreciate the diversity of this medium.
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Although, usually, books of this kind will follow a linear narrative, here the works are organised alphabetically, jumping from one part of the world to another, and often several centuries forward or backward. It is also not limited to crafts, and includes several examples of works from artists, designers, manufactures, etc.

This collective of ceramic artists, based in Sweden, creates spaces for artistic interventions and conversations around the origin of clay. Unsure of where their clay in neat plastic bags came from, and intrigued by the gap between clay being seen as handmade, and the reality of a finite material being dug out of the earth, this collective embarked on a journey to understand the complexities of this material better.

​They first started in Westerwald area in Germany, one of the most extensive clay deposits in the world, where over 15 different kinds of clay are mined and shipped to the rest of the world. There, the Tontouristen Kollektiv documented their findings, using photos, videos, words and movements to explore the connection between nature and industry.

In their upcoming project, they travel to Limoges and Sèvres in France to explore porcelain production. The discovery of usable porcelain mines in the middle of the 18th century in Limoges allowed Sèvres to become one of the major porcelain manufacturers in Europe.

This book, written by Baye Riddell with photos from Norm Heke captures the beginnings of Ngā Kaihanga Uku, a collective of Māori Clay Artist established in 1987, in Aotearoa New Zealand.

It starts by looking at the importance of clay within Māori creation stories, anchoring it into the realm of the sacred, then look at how it was used throughout the Pacific in the past, which includes Lapita pottery.

Throughout the rest of the book, we learn about the historical context around when Ngā Kaihanga Uku was created, and the values that guide the practice of its members. It includes biographies of the original five founders of the collective (Ngā Tokorima) as well as those of more recent makers, who carry the collective forward in the future.
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Beautiful photos of workshops, studios, and artists' works accompany the text, making this book very enjoyable to read.