This exciting new edition, the result of twenty years of research and writing, is the second edition of the in-depth study of the leading vessel in the European glassmakers repertoire between 1650 and 1950. In presenting the subject on a wide stage, The Decanter provides the reader with a history of European and American glassmaking from a decanter perspective. Illustrated by photographs, patterns and drawings of thousands of examples drawn from numerous public and private collections, the text encompasses the stylistic and technical evolution of fine glassmaking and its influences and social uses. Drawing from thousands of documentary sources and benefiting from the knowledge and experience of scores of experts in Britain, Europe and the United States, The Decanter is the most comprehensive and current history of fine glassmaking ever published. It provides a glossary of the names of all familiar shapes for the first time and dispels the innumerable myths surrounding the subject. Written by a former journalist and glass dealer with forty years' experience, The Decanter is readable and accessible, and provides an indispensable guide to social historians and lovers of antique glass and wine.
