Hazel-Atlas Produced Glassware For 80 Years

BOOK REVIEW

Founded in 1885, the first product of the company was a glass liner for the zinc caps used on Mason jars. The stack of the factory was named Hazel, following a tradition of the steel industry at the time to name their blast furnaces. The name was apparently just picked at random.

By the 1890s, the company was making glass jars, using an automated jar-making machine that that was designed by the owner, C.N. Brady.

It is the products of the company’s later years, however, that are sought after by collectors. The barware from the 1920s and 1930s, especially that in the Hazel-Atlas “Ritz Blue” color, is one such line.

The multi-colored pitchers and tumbler from the 1940s and 1950s are as useful today as they were when they were first made. They may be found in designs varying from nursery rhymes to Dickens characters to state souvenir glasses.

Salt and pepper shakers, coasters, tableware, pitchers, reamers and kiddieware sets are just a sampling of the many glass products made by the Hazel-Atlas company.

The Hazel-Atlas Glass Identification and Price Guide, by Cathy and Gene Florence, is now available in a second edition. It is published by Collector Books and is priced at $24.95. Check with your local bookseller or see the online catalog, www.collectorbooks.com. (ISBN: 978-1-57432-605-5.)

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Collector Books Offers Variety Of Titles

The variety of recent publications available from Collector Books ranges from Perfume Bottles to Indian Bannerstones.

The second edition of The Wonderful World of Collecting Perfume Bottles, by Jane Flanagan, begins with the section “From the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Club,” written by members of the International Perfume Bottle Association. The first part is especially entertaining. Called “Hooray for Holly wood,” still from several movies are used, along with photographs of some of the perfume bottles portrayed in the stills.

Three companies, the House of Guerlain, the W. & H. Walker Company, and the Bacorn Company, are given special chapters. Most of the rest of the book groups perfume bottles by date. A special section on perfume scent cards is another feature of the book.

Perfume Bottles, 2nd edition (ISBN: 978-1-57432-12-3), hardback, $29.95.

RumRill Pottery, the Ohio Years, by Francesca Fisher, covers the very brief period from 1938 to 1942 when George Rumrill produced his pottery in Ohio. (Prior to that time, it had been produced for Rumrill by the Red Wing pottery in Minnesota for 6 years.)

An extensive history of the company is included, as are dozens of catalog pages. The photographs of items are from the author’s extensive collection.

RumRill Pottery, the Ohio Years (ISBN: 978-1-57432-590-4), hardback, $29.95.

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Parker Guns: Shooting Flying and the American Experience, by Ed Muderlak, is a thorough history of the company which made the gun called the “Old Reliable.”

Although Parker guns are the foundation of the book, the author places them in their historical context. He tells the story of American wingshooting from the earliest days of our country until the end of World War I, which is considered to be the end of the Golden Age of side-by-side shotguns.

Parker Guns (ISBN: 978-1-57432-611-6), hardback, $49.95.

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Indian Bannerstones & Related Artifacts, by Lar Hothem & James R. Bennett, uses hundreds of photographs to illustrate the components of an ancient type of spear.

It’s called an atl-atl, and was an improved method over simply throwing a spear. Instead, it was devised to project the spear from a greater distance and at an increased speed. The atl-atl consisted of a main shaft, about 16” to 24”, a hook, a spear, and often times, a counter-balance weight called a bannerstone.

Bannerstones had a hole drilled through them, and were made from a variety of materials, although slate was most common.

There is some speculation that bannerstones may also have had decorative or ceremonial uses, since some that have been found would not have been practical for daily hunting. These ideas are discussed in detail.

Indian Bannerstones & Related Artifacts (ISBN: 9781-57432-586-7), hardback, $29.95.

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Also for the collector of Native American artifacts is Arrowheads, Early Man Projectile Points of North America, by Ken Owens.

The author’s goal is to cover the entire United States for the period when points were used, from 20,000 B.C. to 1,000 B.C. and draw comparisons of those used in various parts of the country.

Basic point shapes and features are defined, and charts, diagrams and drawings are included to help the collector understand and identify the pieces in a collection.

Arrowheads, Early Man Projectile Points of North America (ISBN: 978-1-57432-5949-2), $29.95.

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You Could Get Hooked On Rug Making

BOOK REVIEW

Some artists prefer to hook portraits. This piece, by Burma Cassidy, measures 23.5” xx 16.5”.

Schiffer Publishing has produced several books dealing with hooked rugs as a contemporary art form. Hooked on Rugs, Outstanding Contemporary Designs, by Jessie A. Turbayne (2006) showcases contemporary pieces - used as rugs, wall hangings, clothing and furniture - depicting abstract designs, animals, commemorative items, landscapes, portraits, nautical themes, traditional patterns and primitive styles

The Creative Hooker, also by Turbayne (2007), continues with even more examples, with deigns including advertising art, angels, themes from exotic cultures and more.

Detailed descriptions of each hooked piece are included in both of Turbayne’s books. Many include a quotation by the artist explaining his or her thoughts on the piece.

The two books, both hardback, sell for $39.95 each.

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Contemporary Hooked Rugs, Themes and Memories, (2007) by Linda R. Coughlin, highlights several themed collections of hooked pieces.

“Q is for Quinella,” in the ABC series. It is 25” x 20”, by Patty Yoder.

The first in the book is “The ABC’s, the Alphabet of Sheep by an artists named Patty Yoder. The series of 26 pieces was created for a children’s book she wrote. (A is a sheep, upright, dressed as the Statue of Liberty and holding an American flag; Z is for Zonie, which has three sheep that look like sheep, on all fours, but the overall effect is to look like a magazine cover.)

Another chapter features some of the pieces from an international exhibit in which each contributing artists was asked to design a 28” x 18” rug depicting one card from a deck of playing cards.

Modern Hooked Rugs (2007) is also by Coughlin. It contains photos of 540 rugs, crafted by 292 of today’s rug hooking artists.

Among the subjects included are rugs form the American Folk art Museums’ “icons of America” contest, “Circus Train” rugs from the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild, “Art Hits the Wall,” from a Canadian fiber exhibit and more.

Both the Coughlin books are softback and are priced at $29.95 each.

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A more thorough historical perspective is given in Rug Hooking in Maine, 1838-1940, by Mildred C. Peladeau.

It demonstrates the signifcant role these rugs have played in American decorative arts in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Preprinted burlap rug patterns, manufactured by Edward S. Frost, spawned compertitions across the country. By the 1890s, summer visitors helped organize cottage industries that turned the rug-hooking talents of the people of Maine into income producers.

This book, illustrated with over 250 color photographs, explains the story of rugs hooked in Maine and eastern Canada, including some popular maritime designs.

Rug Hooking in Maine (ISBN: 98-0-7643-2882-4) is priced at $39.95.

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Check with your local bookseller for these books or contact Schiffer Publishing, 4880 Lower Valley Rd., Atglen, PA 19310 or see the online catalog, www.schifferbooks.com.

Donna Miller

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