A beautifully designed gift book devoted to the work of the renowned ceramics firm Wedgwood. Looking back at key moments in Wedgwood's design history, this book celebrates the visual power and great design encapsulated by Wedgwood from its founding in 1759 to the present day. The name 'Wedgwood' has come to stand for something far beyond its illustrious and energetic founder: uniting art and industry; introducing design and artistic collaborations; the iconic blue and white of Wedgwood jasper. This book tells that story through the lens of design, reflecting the continuing role that Wedgwood and its designers, artists and employees played in setting trends, responding to the market and producing high-quality, desirable ceramics for a broad range of consumers, yet tied to the traditions established by Josiah Wedgwood in the eighteenth century. It presents highlights from the V&A Wedgwood Collection, reflecting the unique proposition of Wedgwood's business: by operating in both the 'ornamental' and 'useful' markets, Wedgwood was able to bring innovative ceramic design to large areas of a captive market. These ceramics and their stories demonstrate the artistic heritage, craft and innovation that have become synonymous with the Wedgwood name.

The first book to concentrate on the early ceramic work of 'Transvestite Potter', bestselling author, broadcaster and social commentator Grayson Perry. Grayson Perry is now a household name as a result of his widely viewed television documentaries, numerous publications - including his critically acclaimed book about masculinity, The Descent of Man - and dazzling appearances dressed as his alter ego, Claire. However, Perry first came to public attention in 2003 when he won the Turner Prize, the first ceramicist to do so, and rapidly established a unique brand as 'the transvestite potter'. Ceramics are still central to Perry's work as an artist, and this book examines the plates, pots and statues from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s that laid the foundations of his career. It traces his artistic development, examining the iconography and meaning behind the work, as well as placing his art in the context not only of his own psychological make-up in the period before he underwent therapy but also of the various subcultures of the London art scene. With essays by Grayson Perry, Andrew Wilson and Catrin Jones.