A potter friend of mine lent me her book when I decided that I wanted to try my hand at throwing. The Potter's Wheel book she insisted that I borrow was just wonderful in every way--clear writing with matching pictures for each step. My friend explained that after 10 years, she still refers back to this book. I ordered my own and am experiencing The Potter's Wheel lesson book on my own! It is a great source book !!

This book should be the standby for all potters, learners thru to advanced since we don't always throw the whole range of shapes all of the time. Also it's good for getting students to pre-read, so that when you give verbal instruction at the wheel; they should have a picture in their head of how it's supposed to look and then; it's also an edifying tool for the teacher too.

Much detail has been given regarding hand shapes for various parts of the throwing so there is no guesswork and nothing to go wrong. The only thing the student has to learn is pressure and that is just trial and error.

A whole section relates to turning. As she says "turning is not a waste of time" it is a further refinement of the shape, a chance to get the correct weight for the piece (aesthetics).

A lot of love has gone into this book. I hope it inspires would-be potters to have a determined go at it.

... the best feature of the book. It explains step by step for each different types of ceramics (cylinders, bowls, closed forms, vases, lids, plates, etc) with illustrations, common mistakes for beginners and how to fix them. I'm a beginner myself in this creative art form, and this book helped me understand what I should or should not be doing while throwing. Definitely a book for beginners/intermediate ceramists.