GLASS BOOKS
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Warm glass books
Walker, Brad. Contemporary Warm Glass: A Guide to
Fusing, Slumping, and Kiln-Forming Techniques. Based on this website.
Now in its third printing, updated as of 2004. Click here to learn more.
Cummings, Keith. Techniques of Kiln-Formed Glass.
Somewhat academic in tone, with an excellent historical overview and a wide
ranging
discussion of techniques that can be used for various effects. Not really
a tutorial, more of a survey. Excellent illustrations.
Kervin, Jim and Fenton, Dan. Pate de Verre and Kiln
Casting of Glass. Most comprehensive tutorial on pate de verre and
kiln casting available. Solid information on modeling, mold construction,
casting techniques, kiln procedures, and safety. Highly recommended.
Lundstrom, Boyce. Kiln Firing Glass: Glass Fusing
Book One. Definitely starting to show its age, this is still a solid
introduction to glass fusing and slumping, with good technical information and
lots of worthwhile pictures.
Lundstrom, Boyce. Advanced Fusing Techniques:
Glass Fusing Book Two. Not as well put together or colorfully
illustrated as Lundstrom's first
book, but still has a lot of information on more advanced fusing and slumping
techniques.
Lundstrom, Boyce. Glass Casting and Moldmaking:
Glass Fusing Book Three. Summary of pate de verre, sand casting, lost
wax casting, and making fiber molds. Could be better organized.
McGregor, Lani and Schwoerer, Dan (curators). Contemporary
Kilnformed Glass: An International Exhibition. Absolutely gorgeous
and inspirational exhibition catalog from Bullseye Glass. Contains photos of
works, artist’s statements, and brief essays.
Stone, Graham. Firing Schedules for Glass: The Kiln
Companion. Superb technical reference for anyone interested in fusing,
slumping, and casting. In addition to a brief introduction to the
fundamentals of firing glass in a kiln, this book has over 100 pages of firing
schedules and another 100+ pages of other technical information for kiln
workers, glassblowers, and lampworkers. Out of print, and hard to locate.
Cold glass books
Dobbins, Norm and Ruth. Etched Glass: Techniques and
Designs. Guide to etching glass using both etching cream and
sandblasting techniques. Includes sections on carving, shading, basic
equipment, and resists. No info on traditional (and dangerous) acid
etching. Nice picture gallery.
Isenberg, Anita and Seymour. How to Work in Stained
Glass. Very comprehensive guide to cold glass techniques, including leading,
copper foil, sandblasting, silk screening, and glue chipping. Also
has sections on repair and restoration and marketing stained glass. A bit
dated in places (1983), but still one of the best books to buy if you only want one book
on cold glass techniques.
Morris, Elizabeth. Stained and Decorative Glass.
Predominately photographs and descriptions of traditional, ecclesiastical
stained glass. Nice illustrations. Not a tutorial.
Rich, Chris with Martha Mitchell and Rachel Ward. Stained
Glass Basics: Techniques, Tools, Projects. Covers both copper
foil and lead techniques, with lots of excellent photographs accompanying
instructional text. More contemporary projects, nice gallery of finished
work.
Weiner, Kay. Stained Glass: A Guide to Today's
Copper Foil Technique. Good instructional overview of copper foil
stained glass approach, with several traditional-type projects. Good
sections on stained glass design, decorative soldering, and selecting
glass.
Hot glass books
Dunham, Bandu Scott. Contemporary Lampworking.
Solid introduction to lampworking. Broader emphasis than just making beads or
marbles. Well
written, extremely informative, and nicely illustrated.
Fritts, Drew. Torchworked Marbles, Vol. 1:
Beginner to Intermediate Techniques. Well done overview of marble and bead
making. In addition to basic information, includes more advanced
techniques than most other beadmaking books. Well written. Black and
white illustrations.
Web site.
Giberson, Dudley F, Jr. A Glassblower’s Companion: A
Compilation of Studio Equipment Designs, Essays, and Glassmaking Ideas.
Guide to making glory holes, furnaces, annealers, and kilns, with interesting
historical background. Web
site.
Halem, Henry. Glass Notes: A reference for the glass
artist. Excellent guide to building and maintaining a glass
studio. Also has lots of miscellaneous glass tips, including several pages
describing fused glass artist Klaus Moje's techniques. Web
site.
Jenkins, Cindy. Making Glass Beads.
Well illustrated introduction to glass beadmaking. Includes basic tutorial
and numerous tips for particular effects. Skimps on more technical
information, such as annealing and compatibility.
Schmid, Edward T. Advanced
Glassworking Techniques. Absolutely superb guide to more advanced hot
glass techniques, including Venetian techniques such as murrine and reticello,
moldblowing, and solidworking. Handwritten text sometimes gets annoying,
but the content is worth the trouble.
Schmid, Edward T. Beginning Glassblowing. A
simpler, skinnier version of Schmid's Advanced Glassworking book.
Contains the same irritating handwritten script, much of the material is also
included in the Advanced book.
Tettinger, Corina Passing the Flame: A
Beadmaker's Guide to Detail and Design. A superb introduction to beadmaking,
complete with many illustrated projects and techniques. Full color illustrations
throughout. Highly recommended.
Web site.
General glass books
Bray, Charles. Dictionary of Glass: Materials and Techniques.
Comprehensive listing of major glass terms and processes, complete with
definitions and brief descriptions. Includes lists of glass suppliers,
organizations, museums and galleries, schools and colleges, and some tables of
technical information.
Kohler, Lucartha. Glass: An Artist's Medium. Survey of most
major glassworking techniques (inexplicably skips over stained glass), with
illustrated descriptions of the processes and photographs of both
work-in-progress and finished work. Good info on machinery and supply
sources, but only occasionally is it detailed enough to be a good tutorial.
Layton, Peter. Glass Art. Guide to glass artists
throughout the world, with descriptions and photographs of representative
work. Brief historical section, but predominately contemporary with a
section describing glass materials and techniques.
Monroe, Michael W. The White House Collection of American Crafts.
Nicely illustrated portfolio of glass, metal, ceramic, fiber, and wood craftwork
contained in the White House collection.
