Collecting Antique Marbles

By Paul Baumann

Book Overview

When Mississippi John Hurt (1892-1966) was "rediscovered" by blues revivalists in 1963, his musicianship and recordings transformed popular notions of prewar country blues. At seventy-one he moved to Washington, D.C., from Avalon, Mississippi, and became a live-wire connection to a powerful, authentic past. His intricate and lively style made him the most sought after musician among the many talents the revival brought to light. Mississippi John Hurt provides this legendary creator's life story for the first time. Biographer Philip Ratcliffe traces Hurt's roots to the moment his mother Mary Jane McCain and his father Isom Hurt were freed from slavery. Anecdotes from Hurt's childhood and teenage years include the destiny-making moment when his mother purchased his first guitar for $1.50 when he was only nine years old. Stories from his neighbors and friends, from both of his wives, and from his extended family round out the community picture of Avalon. U.S. census records, Hurt's first marriage record in 1916, images of his first autographed LP record, and excerpts from personal letters written in his own hand provide treasures for fans. Ratcliffe details Hurt's musical influences and the origins of his style and repertoire. The author also relates numerous stories from the time of his success, drawing on published sources and many hours of interviews with people who knew Hurt well, including the late Jerry Ricks, Pat Sky, Stefan Grossman and Max Ochs, Dick Spottswood, and the late Mike Stewart. In addition, some of the last photographs taken of the legendary musician are featured for the first time in Mississippi John Hurt .

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870690175
• ISBN13: 9780870690174
• Release Date: July 1983
• Publisher: Wallace-Homestead Book Company
• Length: 86 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A great reference book for marble collectors

My wife got this for Christmas and was really thrilled with this book. She has been collecting "german swirls" for 30 years and we have many of those. This book provides great detailed pictures and descriptions of the process used to make these remarkable craft pieces. She thought that there was different explanations in this book from some others she has, but the differences were really minor. Also, she thought in some cases the values seemed to be extremely high; yet, we both thought that that could be the result of the marble being reviewed by the author versus ones we have seen of a similar type. Quality is always the key! A great book for a marble collector.

GOOD REFERANCE MATERIAL

I is a good reference book for marbles. A bit dis-jointed and hard to follow. Pictures are not as clear as some other referance material but book should be in a marble collectors library.

Collector's delight

As the wife of a train collector, I found this book very familiar territory -- but even better. Baumann's grasp of history, archeology, industrial technique and the esthetic of marble art is wonderful. This was a great read (and look--the color plates are a real asset), as well as an excellent reference.

Everything You Want To Know About Marbles.

176 pages with 1,200 color pictures and many black and white plates. This book really provides a comprehensive history of marbles including how to classify and collect them. Details on clay and crockery, china, swirls, solids, opaques and sulphides. Transition and machine-mades, reproductions and toys are discussed. A comprehensive price guide is included, and a marble club listing. Add this book to your collection if you're a new marble collector or a long time collector. A great reference source.