Glass by G.O. Jones (review)

280 Books medium. He felt that there was still a great way to go with colorless crystal. He characterized the aim of the company as the production of beautiful objects, functional and nonfunctional. The illustrations are uniformly handsome and well calculated to present the work of the craftsmen and the pieces in their best light. Each piece is given a full page and the photographs make up the bulk of the book. There is little, however, to give any perspective to Steuben relative to contemporaneous directions in ‘art glass’ or to make good the boast that it is the ‘finest in the world’. Glass. G. 0. Jones. 2nd edition. Chapman & Hall, London; Barnes & Noble, New York, 1971. 128 pp., illus. Paper, €1.00. Reviewed by S .Isenberg* This second edition of a contemporary, standard work on the subject indicates the fascination generated by glass, a unique material. For the scientist the super-cooled liquid, glass, is an intriguing nonsolid, because on cooling it hardens without crystallizing. It is this property of the material that allows the craftsman of stained glass to scratch its surface and break it into the shapes his mind imagines. Though glass is flexible enough to allow both an artistic and didactic approach to its discussion, Jones’ book is somewhat less flexible, since it is directed primarily to students of the properties of materials. It is, however, valuable for those who make an artistic use of glass. While features of structural chemistry, such as the crystallization and stability of various types of glass, may elude an artist interested primarily in effects of joined pieces of glass, the book is written on so many levels that the concepts it discusses can be readily grasped. The chapter entitled ‘The Behavior of Glass Under Stress’, with its section on viscous flow and fracture, should be perused carefully. Fascinating information is presented concerning the strength properties of glass that bear directly on working with it. Etching the surface of glass, for instance, is said to usually increase its strength, though not permanently. The conditions of the surface, in fact, are quite extensively reviewed, since they have consequences that are quite different from those inside glass. Surface flaws can be more serious than those inside, which is why antique stained glass may have ‘seeds’ and ‘bubbles’ without appreciable diminution of its strength, while a slight scoring of the surface may lead to the cracking of the entire sheet. This is a useful reference book on glass for those with either an artistic or a technical bent. Glass, Resin and Metal Construction. Peter Tysoe. Mills & Boon, London, 1971. 128 pp., illus. f4.50. Reviewed by George A. Agoston** This is a very well written and attractively illustrated account of techniques based on eight years of experience in making glass sculpture and murals. The book begins with an ample description of materials used by the author: glasses (antique, plate and slab), resins (polyester, epoxy and acrylic) and reinforcements (glass fiber and metal). Basic equipment used in the working of glass and resins and protective equipment are described adequately. A chapter is devoted to the techniques for bonding glass with resin, including instructions for the preparation of panels. Another chapter gives information on the construction of metal sculptural forms, the bonding of glass to metal, the design of metal frames for panels and the use of concrete or filled resins for bonding slab glasses. The Appendix contains an extensive list of suppliers (primarily British) of materials and equipment. *Stained Glass Club, 482 Tappan Road, Northvale, NJ 01647, U.S.A. **4 rue Rambuteau, 75003-Paris, France. Clearly the book is addressed to the beginner but there is detailed discussion of the assembly of rather complex objects that will interest those with more experience. Those wishing to undertake this type of work will be comforted to learn that the basic techniques are not difficult and the equipment requirements are comparatively modest. However , they must not minimize the importance of adhering to recommended safety precautions in working with the chemical ingredients for casting resins. An Introduction to Luminescence of Solids. Humboldt W. Leverenz. Dover, New York, 1968. 569 pp., illus. $4.50. Reviewed by George A. Agostonf While the first...