Clay: A Human History

by Jennifer Lucy Allen

A human history told through clay—and how it has shaped us from ancient times to the present day.

This book is a love letter to clay, the material that is at the beginning, middle and end of all of our lives; that contains within it the eternal, the elemental, and the everyday.

People have been taking handfuls of earth and forming them into their own image since human history began. Human forms are found everywhere there was a ceramic tradition, and there is a ceramic tradition everywhere there was human activity. The clay these figures are made from was formed in deep geological time. It is the material that God, cast as the potter, uses to form Adam in Genesis. Tomb paintings in Egypt show the god Khum at a potter's wheel, throwing a human. Humans first recorded our own history on clay tablets, the shape of the characters influenced by the clay itself. The first love poem was inscribed in a clay tablet, from a Sumerian bride to her king more than 4000 years ago.

Born out of a desire to know and understand the mysteries of this material, the spiritual and practical applications of clay in both its micro and macro histories, A Human History is a book of wonder and insight, a hybrid of archaeology, history and lived experience as an amateur potter.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Art History, Historical, Anthropology

301 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Sadie McGuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books like this make me want to quit my job and do exactly what Jennifer Lucy Allan does - travel the world to research and interview to find a connective anthropology in something we often overlook, but connects us all. In this instance, a substance close to my heart: clay.

I’m probably glamorizing the hard work that goes into putting a book like this together, but it is inspiring stuff and makes me want to do the same. In the meantime, I’ll just continue playing with clay myself.

I love how Allan inserts herself and her personal stories, anecdotes and friends into this research. Normally that is something that would turn me off but here she acts as a proxy for us readers, trying herself understand the many complex components of clay, from minerals to firing temperatures to ancient Greek/Arab/Latin American history to chemistry to astronomy.

My first pottery instructor said that pottery is like rocket science but harder, and this book proves that correct. But in an approachable way that makes me want to get my hands even dirtier.

[Lily Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

so good so good so good, what a way to fall in love with clay

[CA Junior · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este é um dos livros mais improváveis que já li. Fazem mais de 30 anos que não assisto uma aula de artes envolvendo barro, e não pretendo voltar para o tema nos próximos 30. Mas por que não ler um livro falando sobre barro e a história da humanidade. E não é que valeu? A autora criou um livro que agrada pessoas mais ligadas as artes, mas também aqueles nem um pouco ligados, como eu. Seu texto é divertido, combinando passagens históricas, entrevistas atuais e as próprias experiências da autora neste campo. Um livro improvável e divertido!
Cada um dos seus 15 capítulos recebe como título uma única palavra: "Food", "Sound", "Walls", etc. Ao ler o título alguns capítulos pareciam óbvios, mas outros não. E existem alguns realmente surpreendentes. Os capítulos sobre comida e sobre espaço talvez sejam os mais inesperados.
Para quem gosta de artes e, especialmente, se dedica ao assunto como amador ou profissional, deveria ler esse livro. Inclusive esse livro deveria ser adotado em cursos de artes.
Existem apenas dois pontos que considerei frustrantes ao longo da leitura: a autora não escreve, em momento algum, sobre pássaros e outros animais que usam barro em suas construções. Tudo bem, não é história da humanidade, mas para mim era um caminho óbvio. Outro ponto, e este sim ligado ao desenvolvimento humano, está no uso de cerâmicas especiais. Revestimentos térmicos de naves espaciais, por exemplo. A autora se aproxima do tema "espaço" em um capítulo, mas ignora a contribuição da cerâmica na própria corrida espacial. Esse ponto realmente ficou faltando. Quem sabe Jennifer não pensa em um livro só sobre cerâmicas no espaço? Em tempo: o método de citar referências usado na versão digital não ajuda. Infelizmente não é possível saber o título do livro que está sendo referenciado já ao longo da leitura, por nota de rodapé, por exemplo.

[Tee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 (round up to 4)
Didn't quite finish it (skimmed the last 3 chapters) because it's due back at the library.
Fascinating premise for a book. "That is what you're looking at when your looking at anything made of clay: you're looking at a history of ourselves, whether it is in something as basic as a roof file, or a paper-light teapot. Clay is at least a small part of the everyday for the majority of people on this planet."
Writing about Qingbai porcelain wares from the 10th - 14th centuries: "It was a strictly controlled operation, with official quality control around the three grades of porcelain that were produced, and it was international and multicultural, with sizeable exports to the Arab world. When a porcelain bureau was established there in 1278, the first supervisor was Nepalese, with successors coming from Persia and Mongolia."

[Simon J Alvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book full of interesting elements, philosophical diversions, questions of creation, bits of history that never quite made up to a fully satisfying whole. Although Allen said that her book was one of sherds and so I probably should have been warned it was a little patchy - but still often very interesting.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for anyone who loves ceramics/pottery. Some very insightful knowledge about the origin of pottery and the authors own take on the meaning of clay. I wish there were more photos. I read on kindle so maybe the print book has more? But a missed opportunity to visually share everything being discussed

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a beginner potter, I really enjoyed learning about the medium behind the art. Lots of great info on this history of clay and how it has helped to shape our human world. I just wish that there were more pictures showing what the author was describing for less going back and forth with internet searches. A missed opportunity to improve the book.

[Karen Shilvock-Cinefro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book describing the different characters and uses of clay. The descriptions are more than simply words but rather feelings of the use of clay in human history and mediums. From clay tablets of love poems to death vessels the involvement of clay through history is brought forth in story.

[Rachel Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would never have guessed a book about clay would make me cry half a dozen times.

[aman grewal · Rating 4 out of 5]

a love letter to clay