Around the World in 80 Pots: The story of humanity told through beautiful ceramics

by Ashmolean Museum

Pottery tells us about religion, daily life, humor, trade, sex, folklore and creativity.


Bearing the imprint of their maker more than any other crafted object, ceramics give us a unique physical link to the past, often the only evidence of long-forgotten civilizations that have otherwise crumbled to dust.


From ancient Egyptian canopic death jars to ethereally beautiful porcelain, and from lewd Renaissance novelties to sleek contemporary vessels, Around the World in 80 Pots is an eclectic journey across time and cultures. Expertly selected from the unrivalled collection of the University of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum, this compendium shows that humankind's oldest craft is the perfect prism through which to view human history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 25, 2023

About the author

The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford's museum of art and archaeology, founded in 1683.

Reviews

[Fanny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book! It introduces the reader in a nice way to different forms and styles of pottery over a long period of time and over the whole world. The book also gives a special look into the collection of the Ashmolean museum, i can’t wait to visit the museum and take this with me as a guide.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It’s really beautifully designed and a pleasure to flip through; Keith Brymer Jones’ foreword made me hungry to read more from him and delve deeper into the history of ceramics. This a great intro and overview spanning basically all of human history.