I was really distressed by the harsh and petty comments about Erica's book. We haven't even SEEN it yet. How about congratulating someone for caring enough to get some of their research published? How about congratulating Mitch Allen from Left Coast Press for publishing reasonably priced books on topics we're interested in? If the rest of us don't like it, let's put something out there ourselves. Another thing, what Erica's book offers that is different from Godden and all the other mark books we have on our shelves is that the marks are those "found in North American archaeological sites." This is a very useful thing for historical archaeologists working on materials from sites in North America to talk about where goods are coming from, consumer preference, etc. It might even help us understand the American ceramic market better for the time period Erica is focusing on. There's lots more to do on this topic, following on from Neil Ewins' wonderful publication "Supplying the Present Wants of Our Yankee Cousins...": Staffordshire Ceramics and the American Market 1775-1880, Journal of Ceramic History Vol. 15, 1997, City Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent. Finally, we have a lot to learn about ceramic goods made by the American, German, and French at that time from an archaeological context.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is no need to act in such an exclusionary way -- it discourages the growth and sustainability of our discipline, and it certainly doesn't represent professional, courteous behavior.

Enough said,

Terry Majewski

-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carl Steen
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 7:09 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: New: Catalogue of Ceramic Maker's Marks.

Again, not meant to discourage Erica from doing and publishing good research. The misleading sales pitch just hit me wrong. I only had a sip or two of coffee myself, which may explain my grumpiness...
 

 

Carl Steen
 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: erica gibson <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Tue, Jul 27, 2010 9:52 am
Subject: Re: New: Catalogue of Ceramic Maker's Marks.


Wow! Talk about being ripped to shreds before I've even had my first cup of
coffee!

Erica S. Gibson
Lab/Collections Manager
Anthropological Studies Center
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA
[log in to unmask]

On Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 6:16 AM, Carl Steen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Sorry if I jumped the gun, but I get grumpy about hyperbole first thing in
> the morning.... I know I shouldn't discourage people from making the effort
> to put a good resource together.
>
>
> Carl Steen
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Melissa Diamanti <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
>  Sent: Tue, Jul 27, 2010 9:10 am
> Subject: Re: New: Catalogue of Ceramic Maker's Marks.
>
>
> Whoa there fellow HISTARCHers!
> Shouldn't you check out what the product actually has to offer before you
> slam
> it?
> I see from the webpage that the book is not available until October, but
> why
> assume the worst.  Reading the blurb on the website, I found...
>
> " this catalog provides full information on both the history of the mark
> and its
> variants, as well as details about the manufacturer" (emphasis mine)
>
> This suggests that variants of one maker's mark are all counted together in
> the
> 350, so it probably really covers a lot.  It also indicates that there is
> information on the company behind a mark, not just the name and possible
> dates,
> as in Kovel & Kovel.  So it could prove usefull after all.
>
> Meli Diamanti
>
> --- On Tue, 7/27/10, Caryn M. Berg <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>
> From: Caryn M. Berg <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: New: Catalogue of Ceramic Maker's Marks.
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 1:17 AM
>
>
> A Comprehensive Catalogue of Ceramic Maker’s Marks…
>
>
>
> New From Left Coast Press, Inc. A 15% discount on web orders to the U.S. at
> www.LCoastPress.com <http://www.lcoastpress.com/>
>
>
>
> Ceramic Makers' Marks
>
> Erica Gibson
>
> Coming October 2010, 256 pages, $24.95 Paper
>
> Available for Pre-order!
>
>
>
> Erica Gibson’s comprehensive guide provides a much-needed catalogue of
> ceramic makers' marks of British, French, German, and American origin found
> in North American archaeological sites. Consisting of nearly 350 marks from
> 112 different manufacturers from the mid-19th through early 20th century,
> this catalog provides full information on both the history of the mark and
> its variants, as well as details about the manufacturer. A set of indexes
> allow for searches by manufacturer, location, mark elements, and common
> words used. This guide will be of interest not only to historical
> archaeologists, but material culture specialists, collectors, museum
> professionals, students, art historians, and others interested in ceramics.
>
>
>
> To order, visit our website at
>
> http://lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=315
>
> ISBN:  978-1-59874-188-9 (c) / 978-1-59874-189-6 (p)
>
>
>
> PRICE:
>
> $89.00 (U.S.), $89.00 (Canadian), £58.00 (Cloth)
>
> $24.95 (U.S.), $24.95 (Canadian), £16.25 (Paper)
>
>
>
> Join Left Coast Press online at:
>
> http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Left-Coast-Press-Inc/26366019052?ref=ts
>
> https://twitter.com/LeftCoastPress
>
>
>
> If you have any questions, please contact Caryn Berg at
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>