Warman's English and Continental Pottery and Porcelain (Encyclopedia of Antiques & Collectibles)

Rating:
Summary: Helpful reference guide
Review: Warman's guide has been a real asset in researching porcelains. As a novice, my greatest challenge has been in identifying the origins of my pieces. The Warman's guide has been invaluable in identifying pieces and approximating dates, as the book illustrates each known signature/stamp, and often includes the dates associated with the signatures. The various B&W photos of plates, figures, etc., were only minimally helpful (you can only get so much info from small B&W pictures) but the real value for me has been in Warman's listing of manufacture marks. Warman's Porcelain is a good launching point for identifying unknown porcelain. (It is an encyclopedia). If you have an older porcelain and are curious to know more about it, its manufacturer (and value) Worman's is a good start for preliminary information. My only suggestion would be to have a separate index by manufacturer marks (if you don't know the maker associated w/your porcelain's signature, expect to spend some time scanning through this volume to find the particular illustration!)