New Schiffer Books Promote Glass
Schiffer Publishing continues to provide the collector with a number of new
books on different kinds of glass.
Scandinavian Glass, by William L. Geary, provides a survey of the
Scandinavian glass produced by Finnish and Swedish glass communities of the
20th century. Among the companies included are Orrefors, Iittala, Johansfors,
Kosta and Nuutajarvi.
The communities listed above, and others, are small, isolated, and located
next to forested areas which originally provided the fuel. They were
essentially “company towns,” with almost all workers in the community
involved with the making of glass in some way.
Over the years, artists and sculptors joined the glass communities, and
their ideas, combined with the existing skills of the glass craftsmen,
produced some of the most remarkable glass of the 20th century.
Over 330 full-color photographs illustrate the Scandinavian glass in this
book; it sells for $59.95.
***
Viking Glass, 1944-1970, although Scandinavian in name, is very much an
American glass company. It was located in New Martinsville, West Virginia,
one of the many glass-producing towns along the Ohio River.
Viking was an outgrowth of the earlier New Martinsville Glass Company, which
had suffered severe financial problems during the 1930s. In 1941, an
announcement stated they “The plant of the New Martinsville Glass Co is
being completely revamped, remodeled and modernized in preparation for ...
the manufacturing of hand-made quality glassware of the Swedish type... The
name of the company is to be changed .. to the Viking Glass Co. in order
that its name will more closely identify [with the product.]”
Characteristic of Viking glass are the brilliant colors the company
produced. The company also retained many of the same lines and molds
introduced originally by the New Martinsville Glass Co. Viking Glass,
1944-1970, by Dean Six, is a valuable edition to the library of anyone
interested in American-made glass. It sells for $29.95
***
The Fenton Art Glass Company is also located on the Ohio River, just a few
miles downstream from New Martinsville. In addition to making thousands of
different products which it marketed under its own name, the company has
also made glass for numerous others through its nearly 100 years of
operation. This is the subject of two books by John Walk, author of several
previous books on Fenton glass. Fenton Special Orders, 1940-1980 and Fenton
Special Orders, 1980-Present. They help to clarify some of the confusion
about pieces that look like Fenton, but can never be found in books under
that company name.
Included in the first books are products made for L.G. Wright, Abels
Wasserberg & Company, DeVilbiss, Sears, Roebuck & Company, Macy’s and Levay.
The second book shows orders made for QVC, Martha Stewart, Mary Walrath, JC
Penney, Cracker Barrel, and several collector organizations.
The books sell for $29.95 each.
***
Wheeling, West Virginia, is yet another city located along the Ohio River.
It’s just a short distance north of New Martinsville.
While there have been numerous books over the years written about the
glass-producing companies, very little has been written about another large
group of companies involved in the glass business - the glass decorating
companies.
Not all glass manufacturing companies decorated their own glass, and not all
glass decorators produced their own glass. Wheeling Decorating Co., by James
L. Webster, takes a look at one of the most important of these companies. It
should help to answer some of the questions that collectors have asked about
pieces in their collections. The book sells for $24.95.
***
Also recently released is the 3rd Edition of Mauzy’s Depression Glass price
guide. The book, by Barbara & Jim Mauzy, presents 167 patterns of glass,
with more than 350 new photographs that include dozens of items never before
documented.
It includes the Adams through Windsor Depression patterns, Canadian
Depression glass, Royal Ruby, Forest Green, Fire-King and more. Up-to-date
reproduction information is provided with each pattern.
Mauzy’s Depression Glass sells for $24.95.
***
Check with your local bookseller for the above titles, or contact Schiffer
Publishing at 4880 Lower Valley Rd., Atglen, PA 19310; phone (610) 593-1777;
or order on line at
www.schifferbooks.com.
Donna Miller
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