An intriguing examination of the life and times of Josiah Wedgwood, potter to the Queen, and an Enlightenment pioneer. Brian Dolan combines the remarkable story of Josiah Wedgwood, the English potter whose works are among the finest examples of ceramic art, with the story of the 18th-century world of industry, fashion and connoisseurship. Born in 1730 in Staffordshire, into a family with a long tradition as potters, Wedgwood survived childhood smallpox (and later, the loss of his leg), to become one of ...
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An intriguing examination of the life and times of Josiah Wedgwood, potter to the Queen, and an Enlightenment pioneer. Brian Dolan combines the remarkable story of Josiah Wedgwood, the English potter whose works are among the finest examples of ceramic art, with the story of the 18th-century world of industry, fashion and connoisseurship. Born in 1730 in Staffordshire, into a family with a long tradition as potters, Wedgwood survived childhood smallpox (and later, the loss of his leg), to become one of the most prestigious potters in England; Queen Charlotte was sufficiently impressed to name him 'Royal Supplier of Dinnerware'. Depending on his business acumen, artistic sensibilities, and critically, his scientific innovations, he established a factory and village near Stoke-on-Trent named Etruria, where his revolutionary basalt and jasperware was developed. Dolan weaves into this tale intriguing social detail: the lives of the workers at Etruria, England at the beginning of the industrial revolution, the Court of Queen Charlotte and the worlds of the Royal Society and the Men of Science. He paints a wonderful picture of the man and of the fascinating Enlightenment period when he flourished.
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Add this copy of Josiah Wedgwood: Entrepreneur to the Enlightenment to cart. $12.00, very good condition, Sold by Black Cat Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sag Harbor, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by HarperCollins.
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Very Good. Very Good Jacket. Size: 19 to 25 cm tall, Octavo, (8vo); Posted within 1 working day. 1st class tracked post to the UK, Airmail tracked worldwide. Robust recyclable packaging.
Add this copy of Josiah Wedgwood: Entrepreneur to the Enlightenment to cart. $25.44, good condition, Sold by Anybook rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lincoln, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2004 by HarperCollins.
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This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has hardback covers. Clean from markings. In good all round condition. No dust jacket. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 900grams, ISBN: 0007139012.
Add this copy of Josiah Wedgwood: Entrepreneur to the Enlightenment to cart. $27.62, new condition, Sold by Ria Christie Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Uxbridge, MIDDLESEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2008 by HarperPerennial.
Add this copy of Josiah Wedgwood: Entrepreneur to the Enlightenment to cart. $38.83, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by HarperPerennial.
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Very good in Very good jacket. xii, 480, [4] pages. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliography. Index. DJ has minor sticker residue. Brian Dolan is an historian with research and publishing interests that encompass European cultural and scientific history during the Enlightenment, the history of environmental and occupational health, and the development and impact of medical imaging technologies. He has written books of interest to academic and general audiences, including the widely acclaimed biography Wedgwood. A definitive portrait of the pioneering entrepreneur describes how Josiah Wedgwood rose from the scion of a family of struggling potters to become one of the world's wealthiest and most powerful men during the eighteenth century and explains how he revolutionized the business model of his time with innovations that have continued into the present. Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730-3 January 1795) was an English potter and entrepreneur. He founded the Wedgwood company. He developed improved pottery bodies by a long process of systematic experimentation, and was the leader in the industrialization of the manufacture of European pottery. The renewed classical enthusiasms of the late 1760s and early 1770s were of major importance to his sales promotion. His expensive goods were in much demand from the upper classes, while he used emulation effects to market cheaper sets to the rest of society. Every new invention that Wedgwood produced-green glaze, creamware, black basalt and jasperware-was quickly copied. Having achieved efficiency in production, he obtained efficiencies in sales and distribution. Derived from a Kirkus review: An elegant biography, abundant in historical and cultural detail, of the 18th-century pottery magnate. Josiah Wedgwood (1730-95) played a crucial role in the evolution of English manufacture as it made its way out of feudalism into the industrial age. He was a son of the Enlightenment, aware that he would get the high-quality products he sought only from artisans who got a fair shake in terms of wages and benefits from an employer who recognized their skills and craftsmanship. Wedgwood was willing to provide those benefits, including education for his employees' children, decent housing, medical benefits, and pensions-all revolutionary notions in those days, as was his belief that his workers understood the value of money. He tinkered tirelessly with qualities of his clay, conducted chemical research to eliminate lead from glazes, and investigated the different kinds of firings being developed around the world, just as he experimented with the idea of a production line. He also cultivated his scant but profitable connections with the aristocracy and the royal household. Wedgwood had to compete on a playing field that included Spode and Sèvres, but his willingness to accept unique commissions won him customers from American colonists to Russian royalty. He worked to standardize products for consistency and availability, with such success that Wedgwood blue jasper ware has been popular for 225 years. Such work, Dolan reminds readers in a nicely phrased appreciation, "represents elite taste without social prejudice. The name carries the status of an old master, but is accessible to those without aristocratic wealth." This shrewd portrait of a remarkable life also renders with vivid particularity the time and place in which Wedgwood worked his magic. A slice of serious history that's also pretty as a picture.
Add this copy of Josiah Wedgwood: Entrepreneur to the Enlightenment to cart. $57.37, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Harper Perennial.