Book excerpt: Geoffrey Godden's HANDBOOK is the standard pocket reference for amateur and professionals alike, an invaluable aid for anyone who needs an authoritative identification guide to British ceramics. Continuously in print for thirty years, it has now been thoroughly revised, updated and extended in the light of the latest research on the historic porcelain manufacturers and potters. The main section lists the principal firms arranged alphabetically, shows the marks used by that firm, and gives its address, working period and the dates when the mark was used. The aim is to provide all the pre-1900 marks that the dealer or collector is likely to come across. in addition, the book records over 700 combinations of initials known to have been used as identifying signs by the potters listed, with their working periods, and full details of over 900 Staffordshire potters. A new listing of pattern and shape registrations, from 1842 to 1883, has been added, together with guidance on further reading and on the collectability of the main types. 'An amazing achievement in clear compression. ' - Collectors Guide