This book defines a ceramic as “any class of inorganic non-metallic products which are subject to a temperature of 540°c or above during manufacture or use”. Thus, it includes not only china and porcelain, but also glass and a range of structural building materials like cement and bricks and naturally occurring materials like lava and granite. The book is now in its third edition. The author, an Emeritus Professor of Ceramic Materials at Bradford University, has built the book over the years to include all the terms students might need to know. This edition claims 4,000 new terms since the last edition, and a rough count assuming 40 definitions a page gives a total in excess of 20,000.
All terms have their grammatical class given. Compound terms like Pipe Blister are also given as Blister, Pipe with a see reference. This helps to bring related terms together so Blister, Blistering, Blister Copper and Blister, Weld all appear on the same page. An even better example is just over two pages of Brick, [Term] which to a large extent brings together all the various types of brick.
Just taking pages at random and picking a few terms will give some idea of the range of topics. Dickite is a type of clay, and DICON is the trade name for a ceramic used in dentistry. Isopleth is graphical presentation of a set of data, and Isophorene is a solvent used in the production of particular products. The Raymond Concrete Pile is used in structural engineering and RBM is the abbreviation for reinforced brickwork. The PIED test is for tensile strength, and Pilkington Process is the manufacture of float glass. Domestic pottery types like Sèvres and Limoges are included. Wedgewood is also given, but the description is of Jasper Ware; Queen’s Ware, also by Wedgwood, gets a separate entry. Perhaps the classic dictionary definition is for Kaolinisation: “conversion of aluminosilicate rocks to kaolin by weathering” which is correct, but it takes a fairly thick and detailed book to explain the process (I do not have a reference but I recall such books in museums and heritage places in Cornwall). Among the more arcane definitions is aa, which is the lava you cannot walk on, but its opposite pahoehoe is not included. And we do get Sagger Maker’s Bottom Knocker which was a real job when saggers were made by hand. I recall from a museum in Stoke on Trent that there was also the role of sagger maker’s side drawer.
I hope this very arbitrary selection of terms gives some idea of the range of topics covered. There is a risk in reviewing dictionaries to go for the odd and the surprising while ignoring the 80-90 per cent of expected standard terms. I can assure you they are all there. The process from raw materials to ceramic product and its uses is covered. Theoretical and research topics and methods are also included. There are definitions for all the varied materials that are involved in the ceramics industry. The book ends with appendix of 25 tables which range from SI units to the conversion of USA units to UK, birthstones and day stones (relevant to design and sale of jewellery) to properties of common ceramics.
This book has to be the ultimate dictionary on ceramics in the wide sense. I hope that there are further editions in the years to come; I am sure there will be new materials and new uses for ceramics. That we have the third edition shows that the book is well used in the industry and I would recommend it to anyone. The book also has to be commended as a very good example of the layout and usability of a technical dictionary.
