W A ISMAY THE JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY BOOK

W A ismay THE JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY by Helen Walsh. Paperback 168 pages £25.00. Published by The York Museums Trust and Paul Holberton Publishing. Published to mark the 20 the anniversary of the donation of Bill Ismay's collection to the York Museums Trust ii 2001.
There is an exhibition titled THE JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY at York Art Gallery which runs 30 October 2021-30 April 2023.
Bill Ismay famed as the ultimate British Studio Collector is a famous figure. In Any visit to York (tourist Mecca!) it has alwyays been essential for the Studio pottery collector to visit the Bill Ismay collection at York Art Gallery. It is a bit like the V & A collection, quite intimidating in being displayed en masse in glass cabinets. But fascinating though.
The book is based on Helen Walsh's Phd thesis. It has a foreward by Alex Mcerlain.
So is it any good? Stylistically the writing is what one expect. Helen Walsh is not a professional writer, But information wise, and a story of Ismay his life and times it is fascinating. Profusely illustrated with colour illustrations and Black and White ones taken by Bill Ismay himself.
The collection is what it is. 3600 pot by several hundred different potters. there being a fill list of those represented Covering a time from the mid 50's to the 90's. Its a fascinating book well worth reading. A critique or examination of British Studio Pottery it is not. It is about one extraordinary yet ordinary man.
There is a lost of Potters with more than 30 pots each in the collection. Which is quite revealing of the main areas of collecting, and Bill Ismays favourites.
JIM MALONE. 80.
ERIC JAMES MELLON 68.
RICHARD BATTERHAM 64,
HARRY & MAY DAVIS 63.
MICHAEL CASSON 62.
MICHAEL CARDEW 57,
ROSEMARY WREN54
DENISE WREN 53
BARBARA CASS, 52
JANE HAMLYN 41
SETH CARDEW 40
GEOFFREY WHITING 40
DAVID LLOYD JONES 39
DAVID LEACH 36
BENARD LEACH 34
MAL MAGSON 32
RAY FINCH 31
WALTER KEELER 31
HANS COPER 30.

I got a copy over Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed it.

For information: The top photograph on page 69 entitled "W A Ismay photographing a large pot in the 1990s" was taken by Tony Hill, who used to accompanying him on his train journeys from Wakefield to exhibitions. It's at the rear of the Harlequin Gallery and was taken by Tony on 21st March 1999. The large Nic Collins pots now lives at the bottom of my garden.