Southwestern Pottery: Anasazi to Zuni

by Allan Hayes, John Blom, Carol Hayes

When this book first appeared in 1996, it was “Pottery 101,” a basic introduction to the subject. It served as an art book, a history book, and a reference book, but also fun to read, beautiful to look at, and filled with good humor and good sense. After twenty years of faithful service, it’s been expanded and brought up-to-date with photographs of more than 1,600 pots from more than 1,600 years. It shows every pottery-producing group in the Southwest, complete with maps that show where each group lives. Now updated, rewritten, and re-photographed, it's a comprehensive study as well as a basic introduction to the art.

Genres: Art, Reference, Nonfiction, Native American, Indigenous, History

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 1996

Reviews

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a confession. I woke up one day,looked around and said, "Oh noes, I have a collection of SW pottery! (More than 3 is a collection, my friends) I don't collect SW pottery. (Well, there's a fib I've been telling myself) Where did they come from and what are they? I admit they come from all sorts of places, but mostly from places where they are lonesome, unappreciated and therefore, inexpensive. So many are very beautiful but they want to be understood. This is the book that will do it for a wonderful basic understanding of SW pottery. I love their explanations and their journey as fellow collectors. Ok, so who doesn't want to know others have the same dilemmas? Well written, easy to dip into. It's a keeper.

[Johanna Cormier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has so many beautiful pots and covers both ancient and modern forms and a full A to Z of native cultural styles. We keep coming back to the book again and again for inspiration. Beautifully photographed.

[Suzanne LaPierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lavishly illustrated guide to pueblo pottery gives you a glimpse into the pottery of all currently federally recognized pueblos. You'll learn the history of each pueblo and what makes their pottery unique, with lots of visual examples. You'll also learn about specific artists and how the pottery styles have changed over time.

[Frederic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surveys a range of southwestern Native ceramics. The photos are aesthetically arranged groupings rather than individual pots, but that makes it easy to pick up some of the general trends. Definitely a book for collectors, especially beginning collectors, rather than scholars, though.

[Lana]

Beautiful book.

[Charles Bechtel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extraordinarily helpful guide to its subject. Very helpful to a newcomer to the Southwest who has an interest in its local traditions and arts.