More than 300 patterns of American pressed glass are documented, described, and illustrated in this comprehensive reference guide for collectors. In this informative and fully illustrated guide, Bob H. Batty—a noted collector of pressed glass—covers more than three hundred glass patterns. Two hundred of which are identified and illustrated for the first time for the first time. Artist John Hendricks’ drawings depict the design and character of the various patterns and in many cases highlight special design and detail of notable patterns. All of the works shown are from Batty’s personal collection, which numbers more than 2,700 pieces representing some 1,900 patterns. Batty, who has pursued his glass collecting with scholarly attention to historical accuracy and detail, has named many of the previously uncatalogued patterns after cities and landmarks throughout his native South. A number of foreign patterns are also included, with precise measurements given for every piece depicted.

This volume explores glass composition and production from the mid-second to mid-first millennia BC, the first thousand years of glass-making. Multi-element analyses of 132 glasses from Pella in Jordan, and Nuzi and Nimrud in Iraq (ancient Mesopotamia) produce new and important data that provide insights into the earliest glass production.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1881.