Contents
Foreword | Alex McErlain
Preface | Helen Walsh
Gallery of images
1. The Yorkshire Tea Ceremony
2. Yorkshire born and bred
3. A natural born librarian
4. The young researcher
5. Job hunting in the 1930s
6. A librarian and soldier
7. A book club for two
8. Photography
9. The roots of the collection
10. Discovering British studio pottery
11. Yorkshire, God’s own county
12. Gathering speed
13. Polite collecting
14. A functional collection
15. Ismay’s rapid rise in status
16. A foundation stone
17. Understanding pots
18. Writing about pots and potters
19. Friendship
20. An important collection
21. From private to public
Afterword
Potters represented in the W.A. Ismay Collection
Acknowledgements and photographic credits