Northwood Carnival Glass 1908-1925 by Carl O. Burns (2001, Paperback, Illustrated)

The most popular general guides to carnival glass are David Doty's FIELD GUIDE TO CARNIVAL GLASS, Ellen T. Shroy's WARMAN'S CARNIVAL GLASS and Edwards & Carwile's STANDARD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CARNIVAL GLASS. All of these contain myriad photographs of Northwood carnival glass and anecdotal information about the pieces featured. For anyone with a more focused interest in Northwood glass, however, a more specialized book is necessary, and Carl O. Burns' NORTHWOOD CARNIVAL GLASS 1908-1925 is by far among the best available. Burns' book begins with historical information on the Northwood company and its founder Harry Northwood; the introduction gives special attention to Northwood's early purchase of Jefferson glass molds. The author provides detailed information on the distinctive iridescent colors Northwood helped pioneer: pastels, peach opalescent and aqua opalescent. Burns describes for the reader every category of carnival glass color (31 in all), and his book is one of the few that helpfully defines the various qualities of iridescence such as "satin,' "radium," and "Alaskan." He concludes his introduction with a lively description of Northwood forgers and fakes. The text that follows describes all of Northwood's patterns from 1908-1925. Each pattern is accompanied by detailed photographs and lengthy descriptions that provide information on the pattern's historical background and unique characteristics. Many photographs are supplemented by engaging illustrations from original Northwood catalogs. Much of the information offered here is available nowhere else. Burns' energetic and personable writing style is evident here as it is in his other volumes on Dugan & Diamond and Imperial. If you love carnival glass, you'll probably find yourself poring over his books many times, enjoying them on every reading.

[ADDED NOTE: This book is published by Collector Books; pub. date 2001; 175 pages total, with color photographs; large format - 8.5 x 11 inches.] PLEASE LEAVE US FEEDBACK BY VOTING BELOW ON THE REVIEW!