5000 Years of Glass

Reviews of the UK edition:

＂Enough insight to satisfy the knowledgeable enthusiast and general facts to become an essential introduction for the novice.＂
-- Antique Collector

＂Profusely and excellently illustrated.＂
-- Royal Society of Arts Journal

The fragile beauty of glass has ensured its popularity through the ages in forms ranging from simple beakers to decorative masterpieces. Along with five expert contributors, Hugh Tait traces the history of glass from its origins in western Asia some 5000 years ago, through the invention of glassblowing around the first century BC, to the introduction of mechanized processes and new styles in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The book highlights the flourishing industries of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, the elegant vessels of the Islamic Near East, the superb mastery of Renaissance Venice. Bringing the story right up to date, the final chapter explores how artists have worked in glass from 1940 to the present day, showcasing the latest masters of the art form.

Accompanying the authoritative text are 300 full color photographs of stunning glassworks from the British Museum collection. Extended captions describe each piece’s historical context and construction.

The book’s chapters are:

• Before the Invention of Glassblowing 2500 BC-400 AD
• The Roman Empire 1st century AD-400 AD
• Early Medieval Europe 400-1066
• The Islamic Lands 8th century-19th century, Chinese glass
• Europe from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution 10th-18th centuries
• Europe and America 1800-1940
• The Decline of the Craftsman, The Rise of the Artist, 1940-2010.

A special chapter at the end, Techniques of Glassmaking and Decoration, shows the superior skill and creativity required to make specific items in the book, which are cross-referenced.

5000 Years of Glass is the definitive book on the subject. Historians, all those interested in or inspired by the beauty of glass, glassblowers especially, will find it an interesting and attractive addition to their library.