Zakin does an excellent job with this book. He is thorough and quite knowledgeable. The book is worth the $ just to view the hundreds of examples by various artists worldwide. Not only does he give you the technical information on clays, glazes and firing - you get the tecbniques of many potters. It would cost hundreds of dollars to participate in the workshops required to learn these techniques. If you are a visual learner and are a hobbyist or teachinng professional this book is worth the money.