from foreword

Welcome to the fraternity of potters! Come join the company of those who fashion this out of earth and fire, who work with materials old as time itself. Explore the mysteries of the kiln whose magic changes dull mud in to objects as brilliant as jewels. Learn the secrets of the ceramic art - learn about clay.
A wonderful material, clay - probably the first to which man turned his hand when he felt the urge to make things, not for hunting or for war, but just for the pleasure of creating. Out of clay he contrived those first utensils for cooking and storing food which spelled the beginning of civilization. Out of it he also made ornaments, representations of natural forms, objects of religious veneration, even books.
If you learn its simple rules, clay will serve you well, obeying your slightest touch and giving tangible expression to your thoughts. It will remain plastic and responsive, changing as you command; yet when you achieve the form you wish and pass it through the fire, it will hold the impress of your fingers forever.
You may work clay with machinery or you may work it by hand. The experienced potter can use it to produce articles of exquisite design whose making will tax to the utmost his knowledge and his craftsmanship. A little child can use it, also, and make things of real utility and charm. It can be modeled, pressed, or stamped. It can be thrown on a wheel. It can be made into a liquid and cast in molds. It can be carved as a solid. It can be rolled, turned, scraped, incised, pulled, cut. When hardened by fire, it can be glazed with colors, brilliant or subdued, glossy or mat. It may be decorated with designs or given a variety of textures. Its range is almost limitless. It has something to offer to all tastes. It will lend itself to all degrees of skill.
It took a thousand centuries for forces of air and water working on granite rock to form the clay you work with. It took countless centuries more for winds and glaciers and running streams to deposit it in the bed where it was found. It is ready to serve you. Respect it for what it can do. If you are honest and sincere, it will reward you richly, not only in pieces of ware but in that deep satisfaction which comes from making something and knowing that you have made it well.