From the introduction
How is this book different from others? This work will cover a wide range of dates. Most books on HLC cover the golden age of dinnerware which lasted for the 1920s until the late 1960s. Many reference come to a halt after such shapes as Cavalier, Rhythm, and Charm House. This is not at all surprising since there is very little demand for dinnerware made after 1960. So why write about it? There are some interesting shapes that came out of this era such as Victoria, Orbit, Granada, Heathside, Challenger, White Dover, and a slew of Ironstone shapes. The only problem with these lines is, with the exception of most flatware, pieces are unmarked. There are thousands of pieces of dinnerware on the open market and many collectors aren't aware they were made by Homer Laughlin.
Covering 60s, 70s and even some 80s shapes is one of two objectives of this book. The second concerns the more popular lines from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. The Art Department at Homer Laughlin was gracious enough to allow me to go through old records, modeling logs and journals. Frederick Rhead, art director from 1927 to 1942, kept extensive journals for most of his time at HLC. From these the development of many vintage HLC lines can be pieced together. It is interesting to know how a line evolves from original concept to a finished product.
Beside discussing various dinnerware lines, there are sections on markings, children's sets, special order items, distributors and decorators. As the title states, this book is an overview so there is a little bit of everything.
Price: $18.89
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