Clay
A Human History
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'An engrossing history of the deep connection between humans and clay' KATHERINE MAY, author of Enchantment
'Fascinating and powerful' BRIAN ENO
Clay is baked into our culture: we have been taking handfuls of earth and forming them into their own image since our history began. In Clay: A Human History, Jennifer Lucy Allan navigates the story of humankind and our relationship to making and creativity through our relationship with this enigmatic, ancient material.
Born out of a desire to know and understand the spiritual and practical applications of clay in both its micro and macro histories, Clay: A Human History is a hybrid of archaeology, history and lived experience as an amateur potter.
'I have loved learning from every chapter in this beautiful and affecting book' VASHTI BUNYAN
'Fascinating and powerful' BRIAN ENO
Clay is baked into our culture: we have been taking handfuls of earth and forming them into their own image since our history began. In Clay: A Human History, Jennifer Lucy Allan navigates the story of humankind and our relationship to making and creativity through our relationship with this enigmatic, ancient material.
Born out of a desire to know and understand the spiritual and practical applications of clay in both its micro and macro histories, Clay: A Human History is a hybrid of archaeology, history and lived experience as an amateur potter.
'I have loved learning from every chapter in this beautiful and affecting book' VASHTI BUNYAN
- Published: Jun 12 2025
- Pages: 320
- 196 x 128mm
- ISBN: 9781399607650
Press Reviews
FLORIAN GADSBY
Clay is a joy to read . . . it made me want to learn to be a potter all over again
VASHTI BUNYAN
From the earliest earthenware to the history of porcelain, along with the author's own progress working with different clays and glazes, I have loved learning from every chapter in this beautiful and affecting book
- BRIAN ENO
I read this book and immediately went out to buy some clay. Fascinating and powerful
KATHERINE MAY
author of EnchantmentAn engrossing history of the deep connection between humans and clay, electrified by a ceramicist's passion
JENNIFER HIGGIE
author of THE OTHER SIDEA mesmerising history of the practical, spiritual and artistic uses of clay, a deceptively simple material that has, in many ways, helped shape human history. Ranging across time and place, this wonderful book opens up a world of wonder. I learned so much from it - and couldn't put it down
HEATHER LEIGH
Alchemical, magical, alive . . . a deeply engaging work about artists and their process, told through the stories of true outsiders and eccentrics, including Allan herself, whose vibrant and visceral musical language made me completely obsessed with a subject I knew nothing about
- Caught by the River
Allan's writing goes beyond the physical, revealing not only how we shape and adapt clay, but the profound meaning at the heart of it . . . will inspire you to look upon your pots with new insight
- Ceramic Review
A captivating exploration of humanity's relationship with the material . . . this book is a love letter to clay
- SAGA
An absorbing work from such an original, enthusiastic writer
- Crafts Magazine
It is this freshness of perspective, a new slant on a familiar medium, that makes Clay so compelling