Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass by Bill Edwards, Mike Carwile (2006, Hardcover)

Along with David Doty's extraordinary website and field guide, this STANDARD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CARNIVAL GLASS,10th edition, is the essential reference source for carnival glass buyers and sellers. It's an exceptional work -- well written, pithy and immensely informative. Edwards and Carwile's encyclopedia is comprehensive in its coverage of pieces made by the major American companies that produced carnival glass, and the book contains well-selected information on several non-American glassmakers as well.

The encyclopedia's 10th edition format (vastly improved from earlier editions) makes it easy to skim for the purpose of finding and identifying carnival glass pieces. The book prices cited in the back pages are a little high for E-Bay purposes, in the nature of book values for almost any category of collectible; however, the price charts are indispensable for giving buyers and sellers a sense of any piece's comparative value and rarity.

THE STANDARD ENCYCLOPEDIA also provides short histories of the various major American carnival glass makers (Dugan & Diamond, Fenton, Imperial, Millersburg and Northwood); useful short lists of smaller glassmakers and their popular patterns; and brief descriptions of European, Australian, Asian and Latin American carnival glass manufacturers. The book includes engaging sections on carnival glass trademarks; metal sales samples of carnival glass patterns; Millersburg Peacock variations; and a comprehensive illustrated list of hatpins.

One of the most notable aspects of this edition of the STANDARD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CARNIVAL GLASS is the monumental effort made by Edwards & Carwile to document the carnival glass of India and bring it to the attention of American readers. Borrowing on the knowledge and collections of India carnival glass experts Vikram Bachhawat and Bob Smith -- who have been pioneers in documenting India carnival glass -- this tenth edition provides photographs of and information about nearly 100 patterns of India carnival glass.

This impressive work has only a few shortcomings. It omits information on carnival color, which is central to any appreciation of carnival glass. In addition, the book's very short section on evaluating glass lacks illustrations of common carnival glass flaws such as cracks, chips, fleabites, straw marks, heat fractures, ash discolorations and so forth -- such information is essential for unseasoned buyers. Finally, readers would profit greatly from documentation of the dates of manufacture of the various pieces included; this information is provided in similar STANDARD ENCYCLOPEDIA guides on other varieties of glass, and would greatly enhance the usefulness of this book for buyers and sellers.


[ADDED NOTE: This book is published by Collector Books; pub. date 2006; 383 pages total, with color photographs; large format - 9 x 11 inches.]

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