Reviews of Top 5 Books for Roseville Pottery Collectors 2023
With tens of thousands of collectors globally, the phenomenon of collecting Roseville Pottery continues to grow each year. To assist these collectors, literally hundreds of books, pamphlets, mailers, websites, and articles have been created over the years.
To help sort through this seemingly endless barrage of offerings, we have compiled our list of the top 5 books that every collector of Roseville pottery should own. There is of course quite a bit of value to be gleaned from many other books out there, but if we had to choose just 5, these would be our picks. We provide extensive reviews and also provide links to Amazon where each of these books can be purchased. NOTE: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
#1 Roseville In All It’s Splendor
This book has been a standard for collectors since its original publishing in 1998. The majority of the content of the book is composed of images taken from original salesman catalogs. These catalogs provide the most comprehensive list of lines and shape numbers offered throughout the decades of the Roseville Pottery factories. As such it is invaluable for identifying exactly what piece of Roseville you are researching.
While an excellent tool for identification, the comentary such as production dates and specifics are often outdated as later research has brought new facts to light in the decades since publication.
The pages in this book are referenced so often that it remains the one book every collector of Roseville Pottery should own.
#2 Introducing Roseville Pottery
Written in 2002, this exhaustively and meticulously researched book takes off where “Roseville in All Its Splendor” ended. The dates and chronology of the various lines are discussed, and surrounded with a large amount of information and commentary.
Mark provides additional sections provide a wider range of insights and discussion, and even goes as far as to provide etiquette for buyers.
The price guide is of course two decades behind the market, and while it can be useful to compare values of various pieces, no printed price guide can ever remain in tune with an ever fluctuating market.
If you are looking for a deeper dive into collecting Roseville Pottery, you will want to have this on your reference shelf and you will find yourself referring to it again and again.
#3 Understanding Roseville Pottery
Once you have think you are an expert on Roseville Pottery, you are ready for this book to expose you to a mountain of information you never knew existed.
Mark delves deep into company records to present the pottery as it relates to the company itself. This book explores the personalities behind the company, and is the first book to really explore the “why and how” questions in depth. Why did they choose the designs and direction they took, what events in the ceramic world affected their choices, how did they adapt to changing market conditions?
The answers to these questions inform the reader how certain lines impacted the company, with some filling their coffers with lucrative orders, and others nearly bankrupting them. The lines produced by Roseville Pottery become more than simple pots, they become endowed with their own personalities created through their place in the history of the company.
A fascinating read that you will return to repeatedly.
#4 Collectors’ Compendium of Roseville Pottery Volume I
The first volume of the Collectors’ Compendium takes a laser focus and aims it at just six different lines produced by Roseville Pottery. Furura, Faline, Earlam, Artcraft, Cosmos, and Artwood are each taken as a subject for intense scrutiny.
Monsen dissects each piece of each of the lines from the perspective of artist, architect, sculptor, and impresario. Pieces are analyzed for their various compositional features and how they work together to create the final impression on the viewer.
Additionally, readers will appreciate the Futura guide as it explores glaze variations, names given to pieces by collectors, as well as a very handy relative rarity guide.
A must-have guide for the collector of any of these lines, with excellent insight for collectors of period American pottery.
#5 Collectors Compendium of Roseville Pottery Volume II
The companion to volume I, volume II turns its attention to six additional lines of Roseville Pottery. Baneda, Cremona, Ferella, Laurel, Montacello, and Wincraft all get the Monsen treatment.
The two compendium editions are exhaustive in their examination of the selected lines, and should leave you with far more answers than you ever thought there might be questions. For collectors of these lines there can be no better resource.
Sadly, the untimely death of the author ensures there will be no Volume III. But the wealth of knowledge shared by the author in the first two volumes will not leave you wanting.
It has been said many times by collectors that they had little interest in Wincraft until acquiring this book. After reading the chapter on that line, they gained a new appreciation that led them to become avid collectors of Wincraft.
Regardless, this book belongs in the library of every Roseville Pottery collector.