MIRACLE GLASS

All about glass its history, chemistry, physical properties, fabrication, fashioning, present uses, and future prospects--in a survey which is too cursory in some respects and sloppy in others; it also attempts to provide a quick course in scientific disciplines which are better learned separately. The history of glass suffers in comparison with Anne Huether's Glass and Man which is better organized, better researched and documented, and fully illustrated; this has not a single illustration of a glass object so that the contribution of cultures and individuals mentioned can't be verified. The description of the making of glass is highly technical but again not clearly organized or implemented; characteristically, tools almost identical to those represented in Huether are not separately identified here. A concluding chapter suggests projects and instructs in repairs requiring glass. Illustration is inadequate throughout, weakening the wide coverage of current products also and making the book look as tedious as it is.