Western scholars of ancient Chinese ceramics have long thought blue and white porcelain manufactured before the Ming (1368-1644 A.D.), dates to the Yuan (1279-1368 A.D.). Even in China today these porcelains are still termed “Yuan Blue and White.” Based upon first-hand surveys of sites in Inner Mongolia, Adam T. Kessler’s Song Blue and White Porcelain on the Silk Road demonstrates that blue and white was made during the Song (960-1279 A.D.) ended up in the hands of the Xi Xia (1038-1226 A.D.) and the Jin (1115-1234 A.D.). Blue and white found today in hoards was buried prior to Mongol invasions of China in the 1200s. Sites from the Philippines to Egypt have yielded Song blue and white. Also reviewed is the cobalt-bearing ore used by Song China to create blue and white.

In Colours and Contrast Clarence Eng covers the social history of architectural ceramics in China, their development both aesthetically (as ornament) and technically (as durable, protective components) in ancient Chinese architecture from palaces and temples to pagodas and screen walls.

Eleven cozy mystery stories in one volume featuring the sculptor-turned-sleuth brought to life by the award-winning author and illustrator. It’s murder at the flea market! Evildoers and crazed collectors beware. Daisy Summerfield, a crime-fighting sculptor with a severe case of artist’s block, is on the case. Will Daisy untangle the riddle of the missing Fiestaware, the cute bear, the flea market poisoner? And will she get her art back on track? In M. B. Goffstein’s homage to art and artists, and to light, cozy, lovable, dimwitted mysteries, you’ll delight in the intrigue of whodunits and in the endless romance of finding treasure in boxes marked “$1.” Set in the years between 1989 and 2000, and ranging from New York City to Westchester County, this series of stories includes: A Little Cracked, Death Goes Dutch, The Little Notebook, The Blue Glow, The Chantilly Box, The Cute Bear, The Covered Jar, The Best Art, The Big Show, An Evening Skirt, and Farewell, Mr. Flea. A special section bibliography lists the author’s favorite books on china. This is one of four volumes in the collected writing of M. B. Goffstein series: Words Alone: Twenty-Six Books Without Pictures, Art Girls Together: Two Novels, Daisy Summerfield’s Art: The Complete Flea Market Mysteries, and Biography of Miss Go Chi: Novelettos & Poems.