It is probably the oldest and most versatile human art form. For thousands of years ceramics have been cherished both for their aesthetic beauty and their practical use. Spanning the millennia, these earth-and-fire artifacts tell stories of their own, often the only remaining relics of civilizations long gone. Exquisitely illustrated with nearly 200 color photographs, World Ceramics takes readers on a journey across time and around the globe.This remarkable volume traces the history of ceramics from the sixth millenium b.c. through the ages to the 1990s. Representing civilizations--past and present--all over the world (Turkey, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Pre-Columbian Mexico, Peru, England, France, Germany, Holland, China, Japan, Korea, and the United States), ceramics from the leading museums in the United States, the British Museum in London, the Ashmolean in Oxford, and from art dealers around the globe come together in this stunning photographic collection of pots, plates, vases, and sculptures. World Ceramics will be a treasured gift for art lovers, ceramics collectors, and history buffs--and an inspiration for all potters.