The Tile Book: History, Pattern, Design

by Here Design, Terry Bloxham (Introduction)

A dazzling visual history of ceramic tiles from around the world and across the centuries. This striking book gathers together an extensive collection of ceramic tiles from around the world and explores their rich history, purpose, and decorative qualities. For centuries, tiles have been used for both functional and aesthetic purposes on the fac¸ades and interiors of buildings. Found in a multitude of shapes, sizes, colors, and designs―ranging from complex geometrical Islamic patterns to figurative seventeenth-century delftware―tiles are among the most varied ceramic products. This luxurious source book, curated by the award-winning studio Here Design, is organized chronologically and features tiles in every variety of shape, displaying each individual tile type and its overall laid pattern in vivid color. Tiles are also shown in situ around the world and at different periods in their remarkable history. The Tile Book is a dazzling mosaic, with colors and patterns that will uplift and inspire. 320 color illustrations

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published November 19, 2019

Reviews

[Christina Ek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful introductory essay of the history of tiles with beautiful photographs (95% of book). Great pictorial reference for art & architecture design. Helpful glossary for techniques such as stamping, inlaying, tube-lining, dust-press, cuerda seca, transfer-printing, marbleizing, stencil and (my favorite) cut-out. Wish they noted tile dimensions....

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book, lovely photographs, a bit Eurocentric, but it is based on the V&A’s collection which probably explains the parameters of the scope of tiles represented.

[kerrycat · Rating 4 out of 5]

be sure to read the text - don't skim through the photos without checking out the descriptions, as there is a lot of information on cultural/historical contexts for each piece.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Mexican tiles? Guess you can't have them all. Beautiful book. Learned a lot from it.