This comprehensive directory contains more than 2,000 biographical entries for individuals involved in American ceramic art from 1870 to 1970. It includes art/studio potters, pottery owners and managers, decorators, designers, sculptors, china painters, teachers, administrators, arts and crafts enthusiasts, and key figures active in government-sponsored ceramic work programs. This guide is a companion to the author's book Alternative American Ceramics. An essential resource for museums, galleries, collectors, libraries, and auction houses.

This is a comprehensive study of American art/studio pottery, dinnerware, and other functional wares (including china painting and ceramic decoration and design) produced without a primary profit-making motivation. Researched over a period of six years, it documents ceramics activity from the first recreational china painting enthusiasts, through varying stages of formal ceramic instruction, to the shift from ceramics as craft to art. This invaluable resource details works from non-commercial programs, including the Saturday Evening Girls, the Works Progress Administration, and many others.