James F on sun 10 aug 08
Clayart folk...
When Google first started=2C their main ranking tool was how many inbound l=
inks a site had. Their theory was that if you find a site valuable=2C you =
will reference it and link to it. Therefore=2C each inbound link was essen=
tially a "vote" from a real live user "for" the target website. Those site=
s with the most votes ranked highest in what turned out to be a very accura=
te and honest poll of a site's usefulness.
I propose we do a similar thing to rank ceramics books (and yes=2C I am vol=
unteering to do all the work). Everyone has their favorites=2C and we can =
and do argue over them. My guess=2C however=2C is that there is a lot of o=
verlap=2C and that there are some books that seem to be chosen repeatedly. =
With over 4000 members of clayart=2C we likely represent a fair cross sect=
ion of the clay worker continuum. If we collect and analyze data on which =
books we have "voted for" by trading our own actual hard-earned dollars for=
=2C I believe we will see some interesting and useful results=2C and have a=
very good and honest "recommended reading" list from the collective mind o=
f clayart.
If folks will send me a list (title and author) of the ceramics books that =
are actually on their bookshelf (for those with large collections=2C perhap=
s limit the list to your top 10 or 12)=2C I will compile and post the resul=
ts. Whether a beginner or a master=2C if you think this project might prov=
e useful=2C or wish to contribute even if you think the idea is stupid=2C p=
lease email me your list at the hotmail address in the header of this post=
=2C jsfreeman at hotmail dot com=2C with the subject line "book list" or so=
mething on that order. You need not rank your books in order=2C as it is t=
he mere fact that you purchased the book at all that acts as your vote. It=
will all be anonymous=2C so list what you actually own=2C not what you thi=
nk might sound better. Please leave out library books or any other book yo=
u do not actually own=2C as there are likely lots of things we will read fo=
r free=2C but not necessarily feel strongly enough about to actually purcha=
se and want to own. I will compile and post the results if and when I rece=
ive what I consider to be a statistically relevant number of responses. Th=
is should be fun.
All the best.
...James
_________________________________________________________________
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Overall's on sun 10 aug 08
James Freeman offered to post listings of our
most treasured clay books.
At first it was hard to synthesize them down
to absolute essence of necessity without
categorizing them into favorites.
Of present books:
Top picks not in order of priority he said,
so I've listed alphabetically by author:
John Britt, The Complete Guide to High Fire Glazes
Michael Cardew, Pioneer Pottery
Robin Hopper, The Ceramic Spectrum
Robin Hopper, Functional Pottery
Robin Hopper, Stayin' Alive
Bernard Leach, A Potter's Book
Nils Lou, The Art of Firing
Bruno Lucchesi, Modeling in Clay (Head or Figure)
Heidi Maiers, Portrait Sculpture Simplified
Fred Olsen, The Kiln Book (any edition)
Vince Pitelka, clay, A Studio Handbook
Jeff Zamek, What Every Potter Should Know
Clayart, Live e-Encyclopedia
(not a book but still a necessity in my virtual library)
(how would I have learned about these if it weren't for Clayart?)
That was fun.
Thanks James!
Kim in Houston
James F on mon 11 aug 08
Clayart folk...
Well=2C so far I have received only four responses. If you attempted to po=
st your list only to be rejected=2C please forward the message to me=2C as =
I did not receive a copy.
I was hoping to get at least 100 or so responses=2C but the project seems t=
o be stillborn. I'll give it a few more days. Remember=2C the purpose of t=
he project is not to pitch any one person's opinion=2C but rather to discer=
n whether or not there is any meaningful consensus.
Thanks much to those who responded.
Be well.
...James
_________________________________________________________________
Your PC=2C mobile phone=2C and online services work together like never bef=
ore.
http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/108587394/direct/01/=
James F on tue 12 aug 08
The book lists are trickling in. Already some interesting patterns forming=
=2C but not yet enough people to be statistically significant. I have deci=
ded that if I get enough responses I will post the results to the list=2C b=
ut if the numbers stay small I will only send the results to those who part=
icipated so that I don't bother the rest of the list with an irrelevant pos=
t.
Also=2C I wish to clarify that the 10 or 12 book count is not a firm limit=
=2C but only a suggestion. I just didn't want to get a list of someone's c=
omplete 200 volume library=2C 185 of which are obscure (though one of my ow=
n is Taxile Doat's "Grand Feu Ceramics" from 1905=2C and I'm probably one o=
f about 7 people on the planet who finds that one useful). Yes=2C of cours=
e please include all that you feel are important .
Thank you to everyone who has taken a few minutes to participate so far. S=
ome of the respondents suggested that I need to post my request a couple of=
times in order to try to get more participants=2C so at the risk of being =
repetitive=2C here is the request once more for those who may have missed i=
t:
...James
> Clayart folk...
>=20
> When Google first started=2C their main ranking tool was how many inbound=
links a site had. Their theory was that if you find a site valuable=2C yo=
u will reference it and link to it. Therefore=2C each inbound link was ess=
entially a 'vote' from a real live user 'for' the target website. Those si=
tes with the most votes ranked highest in what turned out to be a very accu=
rate and honest poll of a site's usefulness.
>=20
> I propose we do a similar thing to rank ceramics books (and yes=2C I am v=
olunteering to do all the work). Everyone has their favorites=2C and we ca=
n and do argue over them. My guess=2C however=2C is that there is a lot of=
overlap=2C and that there are some books that seem to be chosen repeatedly=
. With over 4000 members of clayart=2C we likely represent a fair cross se=
ction of the clay worker continuum. If we collect and analyze data on whic=
h books we have 'voted for' by trading our own actual hard-earned dollars f=
or=2C I believe we will see some interesting and useful results=2C and have=
a very good and honest 'recommended reading' list from the collective mind=
of clayart.
>=20
> If folks will send me a list (title and author) of the ceramics books tha=
t are actually on their bookshelf (for those with large collections=2C perh=
aps limit the list to your top 10 or 12)=2C I will compile and post the res=
ults. Whether a beginner or a master=2C if you think this project might pr=
ove useful=2C or wish to contribute even if you think the idea is stupid=2C=
please email me your list at the hotmail address in the header of this pos=
t=2C jsfreeman at hotmail dot com=2C with the subject line 'book list' or s=
omething on that order. You need not rank your books in order=2C as it is =
the mere fact that you purchased the book at all that acts as your vote. I=
t will all be anonymous=2C so list what you actually own=2C not what you th=
ink might sound better. Please leave out library books or any other book y=
ou do not actually own=2C as there are likely lots of things we will read f=
or free=2C but not necessarily feel strongly enough about to actually purch=
ase and want to own. I will compile and post the results if and when I rec=
eive what I consider to be a statistically relevant number of responses. T=
his should be fun.
>=20
> All the best.
>=20
> ...James
>=20
_________________________________________________________________
Reveal your inner athlete and share it with friends on Windows Live.
http://revealyourinnerathlete.windowslive.com?locale=3Den-us&ocid=3DTXT_TAG=
LM_WLYIA_whichathlete_us=
James F on tue 12 aug 08
>=20
> if I get enough responses I will post the results to the list=2C but if =
the numbers stay small I will only send the results to those who participat=
ed so that I don't bother the rest of the list with an irrelevant post.
>=20
Clayarters...
It has been pointed out to me that the above sentence comes off as petty (s=
narky=2C in the parlance of clayart). This was absolutely not my intent=2C=
and if any took offense then I offer my sincere apology. Please forgive m=
e my lack of clarity.
This project is essentially a poll of clayart. If the number of lists rece=
ived remains small=2C then the sample is not statistically significant=2C t=
hereby rendering the results of the poll irrelevant (not relevant to the st=
ated goal of obtaining a consensus). For example=2C with a very small numb=
er of respondents=2C there is a real possibility that a large percentage of=
them could be raku or majolica folk=2C thereby skewing the results toward =
raku or majolica books=2C or chemists skewing toward chemistry books=2C or =
philosophers skewing toward philosophy books=2C etc. To produce a relevant=
poll result=2C the sample has to be sufficiently large to ensure reasonabl=
e odds that the sample is=2C indeed=2C a fair cross section of the total po=
pulation.
My plan was that I would send the results to the participants even if the l=
ist was irrelevant so that they would at least get something=2C even if onl=
y of limited use=2C as compensation for their efforts. I did not want to p=
ost an irrelevant result for fear that someone who had not followed the thr=
ead would find the list in the archives and believe that it indeed represen=
ted some sort of clayart consensus. Perhaps I sacrificed clarity for the s=
ake of brevity=2C and for this I apologize.
...James
_________________________________________________________________
Got Game? Win Prizes in the Windows Live Hotmail Mobile Summer Games Trivia=
Contest
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Norma Khoshbin on tue 12 aug 08
Hi James,
Here are my favorite ceramic books (not in preference order):
A Potters' Workbook - Clary Illian
Shoji Hamada - Susan Peterson
Clay & Glazes for the Potter - Daniel Rhodes
Craft & Art of Clay - Susan Peterson
High Fire Glazes - John Britt
Practical Solutions for Potters - Gill Bliss
Functional Pottery - Robin Hopper
Making Marks - Robin Hopper
Ceramic Spectrum - Robin Hopper
Potters' Dictionary of Materials & Techniques- Frank & Janet Homer
Thanks for being patient and giving me time to get it together!
Norma Khoshbin
Houston, Tx
--- On Tue, 8/12/08, James F wrote:
From: James F
Subject: Re: The Definitive List of the Best Ceramics Books of All Time
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date: Tuesday, August 12, 2008, 6:25 AM
The book lists are trickling in. Already some interesting patterns forming, but
not yet enough people to be statistically significant. I have decided that if I
get enough responses I will post the results to the list, but if the numbers
stay small I will only send the results to those who participated so that I
don't bother the rest of the list with an irrelevant post.
Also, I wish to clarify that the 10 or 12 book count is not a firm limit, but
only a suggestion. I just didn't want to get a list of someone's
complete 200 volume library, 185 of which are obscure (though one of my own is
Taxile Doat's "Grand Feu Ceramics" from 1905, and I'm probably
one of about 7 people on the planet who finds that one useful). Yes, of course
please include all that you feel are important .
Thank you to everyone who has taken a few minutes to participate so far. Some
of the respondents suggested that I need to post my request a couple of times in
order to try to get more participants, so at the risk of being repetitive, here
is the request once more for those who may have missed it:
...James
> Clayart folk...
>
> When Google first started, their main ranking tool was how many inbound
links a site had. Their theory was that if you find a site valuable, you will
reference it and link to it. Therefore, each inbound link was essentially a
'vote' from a real live user 'for' the target website. Those
sites with the most votes ranked highest in what turned out to be a very
accurate and honest poll of a site's usefulness.
>
> I propose we do a similar thing to rank ceramics books (and yes, I am
volunteering to do all the work). Everyone has their favorites, and we can and
do argue over them. My guess, however, is that there is a lot of overlap, and
that there are some books that seem to be chosen repeatedly. With over 4000
members of clayart, we likely represent a fair cross section of the clay worker
continuum. If we collect and analyze data on which books we have 'voted
for' by trading our own actual hard-earned dollars for, I believe we will
see some interesting and useful results, and have a very good and honest
'recommended reading' list from the collective mind of clayart.
>
> If folks will send me a list (title and author) of the ceramics books that
are actually on their bookshelf (for those with large collections, perhaps limit
the list to your top 10 or 12), I will compile and post the results. Whether a
beginner or a master, if you think this project might prove useful, or wish to
contribute even if you think the idea is stupid, please email me your list at
the hotmail address in the header of this post, jsfreeman at hotmail dot com,
with the subject line 'book list' or something on that order. You need
not rank your books in order, as it is the mere fact that you purchased the book
at all that acts as your vote. It will all be anonymous, so list what you
actually own, not what you think might sound better. Please leave out library
books or any other book you do not actually own, as there are likely lots of
things we will read for free, but not necessarily feel strongly enough about to
actually purchase and want to own. I will compile and post the results if and
when I receive what I consider to be a statistically relevant number of
responses. This should be fun.
>
> All the best.
>
> ...James
>
_________________________________________________________________
Reveal your inner athlete and share it with friends on Windows Live.
http://revealyourinnerathlete.windowslive.com?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WLYIA_whichathlete_us
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