The Glass Flakes Press, an imprint of the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia, was established in 2013 as a natural progression from our successful monograph series, which continues to address glass topics that lack the wide interest to make commercially successful published books or about which we simply do not yet know enough to commit to the more permanent form of a book. The Glass Flakes Press, however, endeavors to provide more in-depth information with higher quality paper, more durable stiff laminated covers, and without the limitations to length required to keep costs low on our monograph series. We envision The Glass Flakes Press to essentially be a service to authors who have spent years researching and compiling information that might otherwise be lost to the world. As a non-profit organization, our profit expectations are much lower than would be the case with a commercial publisher since we basically just need to meet our expenses and enough over to keep us thriving. Using a print-on-demand strategy, we can avoid the high up-front costs that can be a deterrent to an author whose only other choice is to have copies of their books privately printed.
We do not consider The Glass Flakes Press to be in competition with the publishing firms that traditionally have provided the glass collecting community with reference works. Unfortunately, many of these firms have ceased publication within the last several years, leaving a considerable void for authors who have been researching glass topics. We encourage potential authors to contact the two remaining commercial firms first (Schiffer Publishing and Old Line Publishing) to discuss your manuscripts. However, knowing that they must make hard business decisions, we are aware that some truly worthwhile books will continue to fail to find a publisher. That’s where The Glass Flakes Press may be able to offer a service, since we are able to operate using a much different business model. As a non-profit organization, our profit expectations are much lower, since we basically just need to meet our expenses and enough over to keep us thriving. Using a print-on-demand strategy, we can avoid the high up-front costs that can be a deterrent to an author whose only other choice is to have copies of their books privately printed. We also have a well-established eBay store, allowing us to sell worldwide.
Our Newest Titles
Trendsetters in American Art Glass
By Kimberly Weygandt-Scialdone
An introduction to American art glass, featuring many unusual and one-of-a-kind examples of handmade glass. Imperial Glass Company’s Free Hand and Lead Lustre lines make up nearly half of this book, illustrated with almost 300 pieces of this rarely seen glass, including some never before documented items and decors. The remainder of the book focuses on glass made by the Durand Art Glass Division of the Vineland Flint Glass Works, the Quezal Art Glass & Decorating Company, Tiffany Studios, the Alton Manufacturing Company’s Trevaise line, Steuben from the Carder years, The Fostoria Glass Specialty Company’s IRIS pattern, and Hobbs, Brockunier and Company’s Peach Blow (or Coral). This volume is a feast for the eyes and an introduction to some of the most beautiful glassware ever manufactured in America. An appendix offers reprints of all of the currently known catalogs of Imperial Free Hand, Imperial Lead Lustre, Durand, and Hobbs’ Peach Blow. 240 pages.
ISBN 978-1-7341619-9-1
$34.95 (non-members) / $30.95 (members).
Imperial Lead Lustre Art Glass
By Ernest L. Albanese, Jr.
A detailed introduction to the Imperial Glass Company’s Lead Lustre line, brought out for only a year in 1925 to replace Imperial’s Free Hand line, which had proven too expensive to market. Although blown in moulds, the artistry required to apply the finishes and decorations required the same levels of skill and ability as the more expensive line. This publication is written to enhance
the appreciation of Lead Lustre Art Glass — itself an ingenious, unique creation. All of the known glazes, shapes, and decors are covered with over 250 pieces illustrated from the collections of the author and others, many of which are rare or one-of-a-kind. 105 pages.
ISBN 979-8-9871580-1-2
$29.95 (non-members) / $25.95 (members).
SPECIAL OFFER
Fostoria Glass Company, Book 1: The Opal Years 1897 to 1922
By Gary Schneider
For the first time, the early opal production of the Fostoria Glass Company is presented in massive detail, with many pieces authenticated for the first time. Collectors of milk glass novelties, perfumes and other dresser items, miniature lamps, decorated vases, syrups, and saltshakers, as well as anyone who loves early Fostoria will find this volume essential. All currently known original catalogs and other primary sources have been consulted to make this book as complete as the present level of research makes possible. 566 illustrations present over 1000 pieces of glass, including lookalikes from Westmoreland, McKee, and other companies, in full color photographs and reprints of catalog pages. This volume includes chapters on Victorian novelties and dresser sets, Night lamps and other small lamps, Decorated vases, and Decorated syrups, shakers, and tableware. 202 pages.
ISBN 9781734161946
$29.95 (non-members) / $25.95 (members).
Fostoria Glass Company: The Opal Years 1897 to 1922, Book 2: Oil Lamps, Gas and Electric Portables
By Gary Schneider
Based on the known lamp catalogs and price lists, during the Opal Years, the Fostoria Glass Company made approximately 920 different Opal Lamps. Each lamp came with two and many times three decorations expanding the selection to more than 2,000 Opal Lamps. To this add the Opal Hand and Stand Lamps, the Portables, the Blue, and the Persian Ware Lamps bringing the total to over 2,200 Lamps to select from during the 24 years of production. Utilizing all currently known Fostoria catalogs from 1897 to 1922, this book is the most complete resources for identification of these lamps and decorations. Divided into 8 sections covering imitation vase lamps, with or without metal base, medium grade lamps with removable brass oil pots, banquet and reading lamps, gas and electric portables, hand and stand lamps, center draft lamps, and miscellaneous including Persian Ware and Blue glass lamps. Extravagantly illustrated with 620 photographs and catalog reprints, most in full color. Prefaced with a history of Fostoria from the earliest Fostoria, Ohio, years until the move to Moundsville, West Virginia where most of these lamps were made, the book also includes three appendices, a bibliography, and detailed indexes. Published by Glass Flakes Press. Plastic coil bound with laminated covers. 291 pages with 620 illustrations and index of patterns. A must for collectors of Fostoria glass, oil lamps, opal (milk glass), or general antiques.
ISBN 978-1-7341619-5-3
$39.95 (non-members) / $35.95 (members)
Imperial Free Hand Art Glass
By Ernest L. Albanese, Jr., and Kimberly Weygandt-Scialdone
The most exhaustive introduction to the Imperial Free Hand line of art glass ever published, with examples of all of the line numbers, known decors and finishes, including many previously unknown and one-of-a-kind pieces from this brief but spectacular period of production from 1923 to 1924, when some of the finest examples of art glass ever made in America were produced by the Imperial Glass Company. The strength of this volume lies in the hundreds of photographs of pieces from the collections of the authors and other private individuals, allowing the beauty and art of the glass to speak for itself. 271 pages.
ISBN 979-1-9871580-0-5
$39.95 (non-members) / $35.95 (members)
United States Glass Company: Volume 1, Tableware Lines 1891-1895
By Neila & Tom Bredehoft and Sid Lethbridge
This is the first volume of what will be the most comprehensive study of the United States Glass Company, the largest and most successful of the tableware combines that dominated glass manufacture in the United States from 1891 to well into the twentieth century. Utilizing the massive archives on the company amassed by Tom and Neila Bredehoft, as well as resources from many other researchers and thousands of catalog pages, this volume covers the beginnings of the combine and the tableware lines in the 15000 series that were issued in the first five years, with 35 separate lines shown, many of them with dozens of individual items, all clearly illustrated from catalogs. The volume also includes an extensive history of U. S. Glass from 1891-1895, as well as an appendix reproducing the valuations and appraisals of the original member factories, one setting forth corrections of past errors relating to U.S. Glass, a list of all known catalogues, and a selection of over 80 advertisements from the trade journals. 232 pages.
ISBN 978-1-7341619-2-2
$29.95 (non-members) / $25.95 (members)
United States Glass Company, Volume 2, Tableware Lines 1896-1900
By Neila & Tom Bredehoft and Sid Lethbridge
This is the second volume of what will be the most comprehensive study of the United States Glass Company, the largest and most successful of the tableware combines that dominated glass manufacture in the United States from 1891 to well into the twentieth century. Utilizing the massive archives on the company amassed by Tom and Neila Bredehoft, as well as resources from many other researchers and thousands of catalog pages, this volume covers the 28 tableware lines made from 1896 to 1900 and is laid out in the following main sections: A history of the United States Glass Co. for this period; An overview of the Assignment Scale, which summarizes the differences between documentation, attribution and speculation; A summary of the primary and secondary sources utilized in the research for this book; An illustrated summary of the major tableware lines of this firm; Appendices sharing additions to volume 1 of the series, a list of known colors, and a selection of trade journal advertisements. Illustrated throughout with over 400 photographs and catalog reprints. 232 pages.
ISBN 978-1-7341619-6-0
$29.95 (non-members) / $25.95 (members)
The Remainder of Our Catalog
New England Pomona: Portrait of a Nineteenth-Century Art Glass
By Beatrice Scheer Smith, edited by Merrily A. Smith.
Glass Flakes Press, 2018. Hardcover.
Pomona, one of the glasses of the Art Glass period in America, was produced by the New England Glass Works in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from 1885 through 1887. It is a clear, blown, lead glass, distinguished by its surface treatment — a combination of acid etching and botanically inspired decorations colored with mineral stains, principally in pale honey amber and a mineral blue. At the time of its initial release, it was praised as the most exquisitely delicate glass work that has been turned out in this country. New England Pomona: Portrait of a Nineteenth-Century Art Glass documents historic information about Pomona and presents what Dr. Smith learned through her research of primary source materials. Much of what she wrote was based on her own observations of the glass itself, since no manufacturer’s trade catalog or other factory-production records are presently known. It is the first major publication about New England Pomona Art Glass from a recognized world expert, an in-depth study — based on both text- and object-based research — on the history of Pomona and its place in American glass scholarship, and a comprehensive guide for identification of the various Pomona forms and decorations, with heretofore unpublished material drawn from primary sources and based on observations and analysis acquired over 50+ years of study. It includes 148 figures, 49 plates, and color photographs of more than 220 examples of New England Pomona and 40 examples of Midwestern Pomona. 348 pages.
ISBN 978-0-692-96843-7
$49.95 (non-members) / $45.95 (members)
Locke Art
By Tom Felt with photographs by Bob O’Grady
This is the most complete volume available detailing the exquisite hand-etched glassware produced by Joseph Locke between 1898 and 1914. Close to 140 patterns are illustrated in over 700 photographs, including close-ups of the main elements of each etching, as well as signatures. Included is The History of Joseph Locke by Phyllis Fry Locke, a chronology, bibliography, and indexes. 282 pages.
ISBN 978-1-7341619-1-5
$39.95 (non-members) / $35.95 (members)
Modern Steuben: Catalog of the Martin Massman Collection of Steuben Glass
With an introduction by Tom Felt and photographs by Bob O’Grady of all 210 pieces in the Martin Massman Collection of Steuben Glass. This volume provides a stunning introduction to Steuben’s production from the 1930s to the 1990s. Information given for each item in the collection includes the names of the designers, the production dates, and dimensions. An appendix includes biographies of the designers. Illustrated throughout, with an index. 221 pages.
ISBN 978-0-9895845-7-9
$29.95 (non-members) / $25.95 (members)
Carl Hosch: Reprint of a Bohemian Glass Catalog, Circa 1906-1912
Introduction by Alfredo Villanueva Collado
This exceptional catalog illustrates 1,475 individual pieces, many of them in metal mounts. Hosch offered decorated items from many Bohemian manufacturers, including Reidel and Elizabethhutte (Pallme Konig), Kralik, Harrach, probably Ruckl and Welz, and decorated Loetz Tango blanks. This extravagant catalog includes flower vases, toilet sets, liquor sets, card trays, sweet boxes, tumblers, night water sets, carafes, inkwells, flower-stands, fishbowls, bonbon boxes, fairy lamps and religious items, table lamps, and an incredible variety of other pieces. 127 pages, illustrated throughout. With a Czech art glass bibliography.
ISBN 978-0-9895845-0-0
$29.95 (non-members) / $25.95 (members)
The Art of Fire – Glass Paperweights: An Anthology
This compilation of articles by Richard V. Simpson, most of them first published in Antiques & Collecting Magazine in the 1990s and early 2000s, includes biographies and interviews with most of the top paperweight makers of the 20th century. Included are Charles Kaziun, Jr., Ray and Bob Banford, John Deacons, Debbie Tarsitano, the Kontes Brothers, Ken Rosenfield, Victor Trabucco, David and Jon Trabucco, Jim Donofrio, Edward Poore, and Gordon Smith. Articles also appear covering glass novelties in the paperweight tradition, Baccarat, New England Glass Company’s blown fruit, Perthshire (with an overview of Scottish paperweight making, including Ysart, Moncrief Glass, Vasart, and Strathearn), and green bottle glass paperweights. 140 pages. Illustrated throughout.
ISBN 978-0-9895845-8-6
$29.95 (non-members) / $25.95 (members)
Glass Hen on Nest Covered Dishes: Identification & Value Guide, Second Edition
by Shirley Smith
This massive new edition of Shirley Smith’s definitive work on covered hen dishes contains 464 pages with 2,493 illustrations. Manufacturers and distributers of the glass hen covered dishes, 60 in all, are listed alphabetically in two separate sections: 34 American entries and 26 European. Two-volume set.
ISBN 9-780-9895845-5-5
$49.95 (non-members) / $45.95 (members)
L. E. Smith Glass Company, the First One Hundred Years: History, Identification and Value Guide
by Tom Felt. Updated 2020
Originally published in 2007 and out of print since 2012, this volume was the first complete history of L. E. Smith, made possible by unprecedented access to factory records, catalogs, photographs, and the company “morgue” – thousands of sample pieces from 100 years of production. The demand for a reissue of this volume has grown, with copies of the out-of-print book being sold on the secondary market for $50.00 to $150.00. It is now available from the Glass Flakes Press, scanned from the original work with minor updates and corrections. In addition to the extensive history, it includes sections identifying all production and many experimental colors, including carnival glass, milk glass, and other opaque colors. Approximately one third of the book is devoted to the major patterns, including Mount Pleasant, Heritage (including many reproductions from the McKee –Tec patterns), Dominion, Simplicity (Smith’s answer to Viking’s Epic), Moon and Star, Hobnail, Daisy and Button, and many more. The remainder of the book covers specialized products: ruby-stained souvenir ware, candy containers, bedroom and bathroom glassware, animals and covered animal dishes, candlesticks, and punch bowls. A general index, pattern number index, and visual index are included. 398 pages in full color, with 1,008 illustrations.
ISBN 9-781-7341619-3-9
$39.95 (non-members) / $35.95 (members)
Glass of Cumberland & Lonaconing Maryland, 2nd ed
By Dale L. Murschell
This classic work is the ultimate reference to the glass made in Allegany County, Maryland, and is the culmination of years of research and study. Dozens of companies are discussed, including Cumberland Glass Company, the Maryland Glass Etching Works of George Truog, the Potomac Glass Company, the Sloan Glass Company, the Utility Glass Company, and many others. Heavily illustrated throughout with photographs, catalog pages, advertisements, and other documentation, this is an important volume for both the collector and the historian, of particular importance in identifying the etchings, cuttings, and blown stemware produced in the Cumberland area. 179 pages, illustrated throughout.
ISBN 9-780-9895845-2-4
$29.95 (non-members) / $25.95 (members)
Plates & Dishes: Bread & Butter -- Of Course!
Written by Gloria Dobbs and Courtney Sloan, Winfred and Lee Ona Prier
This volume is a treasure trove for early American pattern glass collectors. In large, clear photographs, almost 300 bread plates and over 300 butter dishes are identified or attributed, taking advantage of the most up-to-date research available. Special sections feature related items, including children’s plates, cheese dishes, honey dishes, ice cream trays, and water trays – with a chapter devoted to the U.S. Glass States series. 194 pages. Illustrated throughout.
ISBN 9-780-9895845-6-2
$29.95 (non-members) / $25.95 (members)
The Elson Glass Co. and Successors
By Sid Lethbridge
This book originated with the donation of a group of old catalog pages to the Museum of American Glass. Originally thought to be Riverside, it soon became apparent that they were from the little-known Elson Glass Company. Pieced together with the scant documentary evidence previously known and augmented with information from trade journals, advertisements, and patents, this book provides a detailed history and list of known patterns from the Elson Glass Company (1883-1893), West Virginia Glass Company (1893-1898), West Virginia Glass Manufacturing Company (1898-1899), and West Virginia Works of the National Glass Company. The products from these companies are illustrated by well over 400 images and include early American pattern glass, novelties, opalescent ware, opal (milk glass), and much more. Appendices on ball-handled pitchers, The Enterprise Manufacturing Company, and etchings provide further information. 182 pages, illustrated throughout.
ISBN 9-780-9895845-9-3
$29.95 (non-members) / $25.95 (members)
The Belmont Glass Works, 1866-1890: An Addendum
By Sid Lethbridge
When the original book on this subject by Sid Lethbridge and Peter Thomas was published in 2016, it contained all available information on this important company and its contributions to the field of early American pattern glass. In the years since, additional catalogs have surfaced and this volume documents dozens of additional patterns, oil lamps, and novelties. It contains almost 400 illustrations including over 60 pages reprinting all currently known catalog pages. There is also an appendix confirming that all EAPG air twist handles can now be attributed to Belmont. Plastic coil bound with laminated covers and pattern name index. Illustrated throughout. This volume supplements the original 2016 publication, but does not include the history or duplicate the patterns appearing in that volume. 153 pages.
ISBN 978-0-9919091-2-4
$29.95 (non-members) / $25.95 (members)
United States Glass Co., Pittsburgh, Pa: Pattern Catalogs, 1892-1906
By Tom and Neila Bredehoft
These rare catalogs, originally from the files of the late J. Stanley Brothers, were issued as new patterns came out after the formation of the United States Glass Company in 1891/2. 49 different patterns are represented, with information provided on AKA names, date of introduction, colors, reproductions, and other comments. Although most of these catalogs were in black and white, there are 21 pages in color. 177 pages. Illustrated throughout, with an index
ISBN 9-780-9895845-6-2
$29.95 (non-members) / $25.95 (members)
A Glassworks in Bedford County, Pennsylvania: For Fourteen Years, an Unconventional Source of Revenue and Prosperity for the Borough of Everett. 2nd ed
By Barry L. Bernas
This book explores the history of three separate flint lime glass bottle manufacturing companies that conducted business in West Providence Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania adjacent to the Borough of Everett. Two of these firms bore the same name – Everett Glass Company. Both were incorporated within the Commonwealth but in different decades. In between, another commercial enterprise called the Everett Glass Company, Limited was formed and operated on a partnership basis. For each Company, plant operations were conducted out of the same facility. Skilled manning ranged from non-union to union journeyman blowers. Other plant jobs were filled by local men and boys. A talented workforce made bottles by the age-old method, blowing each in an iron sectional mold and then applying the finish all by hand. Except for grinding, none of the three businesses employed machines to form or finish their ware. The information contained herein is the result of widespread research and tells the story of one small community’s attempt to take advantage of the boom of glassware production between 1884 and 1908. With appendices on Everett Glass Company fruit jars and other products and whimsies. Fully indexed. 155 pages, illustrated.
ISBN 9-780-9895845-3-1
$19.95 (non-members) / $15.95 (members)