There has been scant attention paid to the collection of Staffordshire dogs in the literature of antique collecting. For the ardent collectors of this type of pottery any information will prove valuable. This book seems to be the only authoritative work available on this field of antiques. Staffordshire dogs were produced in huge numbers in the nineteenth century, so there is likely to be an enduring interest in this volume among collectors of this type of figurine.
Each double‐page spread features one breed of dog, the left hand page giving a brief description of the quality of the pottery figure, while the right hand page comprises a colour photograph of the dog. The author’s principal aim is to record as many breeds as possible, showing only the finest examples of Staffordshire pottery. Over 30 breeds are featured, starting with Afghan Hounds and ending with Whippets.
The book’s chief shortcoming is that it is, in the author’s words, a “picture book” and very little else. Virtually no attention is paid to the auction value or rarity of each piece shown. Indeed, the book is composed almost wholly of photographs as there is very little text accompanying each pot figure. There has been so little written on this area of antique collecting that the subject deserved much fuller treatment. Clive Mason Pope in this volume only hints at the vast expertise and specialist knowledge that he possesses. Libraries solely devoted to the fine and decorative arts may wish to purchase a copy of this book since there are so few other published sources of information, but at £25 for what amounts to a series of photographs with no exposition of subject matter, it is an expensive addition to a library’s stock.
