ERIC KNOWLES ANTIQUES

a Beginner's Guide

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Used large hardcover ex-library book with dustjacket, measuring 29 x 22 cm, 240 pages. Published 2006. Book and dustjacket are in excellent condition - dustjacket is covered in clear protective plastic, there are 2 library stickers on the first page of the book, but it is otherwise clean and tight with no marks, wirting, tears, loose or missing pages.

Whether you are interested in furniture or ceramics, silver or glass, clocks or Art Deco, Eric Knowles' Antiques gives the novice antiques enthusiast an invaluable introduction to the range of collecting areas. Drawing on his long experience as one of the experts on the Antiques Roadshow, Eric provides all the information a new collector needs to work out what to collect and how to get started.

Antiques is organised by genre and subdivided according to time period or thematic subject, as suits the material. Introducing each category's major stylistic eras, Knowles tells you what to look out for and describes the works of major factories and designers, and outlines the identifying characteristics of each period. Antiques enables the novice to see the development of design and the progress of manufacturing technques within each collecting area.

Throughout the book, Eric Knowles includes feature boxes to help the collector learn more about a chosen topic, identifying the typical and appreciating the extraordinary. These features also show you what to look out for and help you to understand why some pieces are worth so much more than others.

Recent (2006) auction values are given for each item illustrated, in British pounds. Examples from all price ranges are included, so that you learn about identifying, dating and valuing not only the objects that you can afford but also those that are simply the best of their type.

The combination of clear, succinct information and carefully selected illustrations makes Eric Knowles' Antiques a must-have book that antiques enthusiasts will want to refer to again and again.

About the author

Eric Knowles was born in Nelson in 1953 and worked in both engineering and for a firm of antique shippers in the early 1970’s. His love of antiques, inherited from his parents, came to the fore in 1976, when he joined Bonham’s, the London auctioneers, working first as a porter in the ceramics department, before becoming head of the department in 1981. He later became a board director responsible for English and Continental ceramics alongside Oriental ceramics and works of art.

In 1979 Eric set up the Art Nouveau and Art Deco department, which consolidated his reputation as a respected authority on 19th- and 20th-century decorative arts, specialising in Lalique glass.

He is probably best known for his regular television appearances, which include 25 years working for the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, adjudicating Going for a Song, and being the resident antiques expert on This Morning. He is also the author of several books including Miller's Victoriana Antiques Checklist, Miller's Art Nouveau Antiques Checklist, Miller's Art Deco Antiques Checklist and Miller's 100 Years of the Decorative Arts. He also writes for several specialist antique and collectables magazines. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and is the Sunday Times antiques expert.

Eric's real claim to fame and immortality is the Eric Knowles character jug produced by Royal Doulton pottery.

Eric Knowles Antiques - A Beginner's Guide