Contemporary Crafts Market Place American Crafts CouncilReview by: Jill CaldwellARLIS/NA Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 4/5 (SUMMER 1975), p. S3Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Art Libraries Society of NorthAmericaStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27945464 .

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Photography Market Place, and the difficulties in putting together such a book, at least in part, from questionnaires. It is hoped that the problems the book has can be worked out on future editions in a way that will extend the use fulness of an already handy book.

?Marie Czach

Western Illinois University

Contemporary Crafts Market Place, compiled by American Crafts Council. New York, R.R. Bowker, 1975. 502p. $13.95 paper. ISBN 0-8352-0806-0. (Can be ordered by mail only from Bowker Order Dept., P.O. Box 1807, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. )

Contemporary Crafts Market Place is one of the most recent

publications in Bowker's "Market Place" series; and, like its siblings, it is a most valuable reference source. This volume is aimed at either the artist-craftsman or the librarian trying to assist one. The work provides a plethora of valuable research and compilation which is divided into eight sections: 1) shops and galleries, 2) organizations, 3) courses, 4) audio visual materials, 5) suppliers, 6) packing, shipping, and in surance, 7) calendar, 8) publications, plus an index to all.

The shops and galleries section updates the 1973 edition of Craft Shopsand Galleries U.S.A. Although not so ex

cessively packaged (Craft Shops. . . contained a state map with a vague location of each city listed; it also marked city divisions with large bold-face type), it is concise and cer

tainly more than adequately organized for easy use. None of the important information from the earlier publication has been eliminated from CCMP, also compiled by the American Crafts Council. Each entry provides the pertinent information: address, hours, etc., as well as the kinds of crafts accepted and the year the shop/gallery opened.

The second section covers a very broad range of organi zations ranging from hobby to professional groups. Listed by state, each entry provides number of members, founding date, and activities.

Anyone who has scoured the American Art Directory for craft courses can certainly appreciate the craft courses list. Not only does the Market Place directory include offerings from colleges and universities, but also courses offered by private workshops, museum schools, and art centers. Listings are by state and city with crafts listed alphabetically under the sponsoring institution. If degrees are offered, they are also included.

Audiovisual materials are listed both by subject and pro ducers. This section includes more than contemporary

crafts; its coverage spans history, design and foreign crafts as well. Age levels are indicated for all materials.

The suppliers are listed by media with extensive sub divisions providing sources for the major products such as clay, wheels, metal, wood, etc. as well as listings for such details as kiln gloves, tongs, buckles, camel hair, oppossum fur, blown glass materials, etc.

Covering all aspects of marketing crafts, the volume also contains packing, shipping and insurance information. Lists include suppliers of packing materials?styrofoam, acid free paper, etc., names of packers and shippers, air

freight forwarders, and insurers with a brief statement of the purpose and benefits of each of these major divisions.

The term "calendar" is slightly misleading: no actual dates are given. More useful on a continuing basis, however, are the listings of those organizations sponsoring regular cratt events and the season in which they occur. For some

listings, the reader is referred to the address of the organi zation since events are scheduled irregularly.

The publications section is divided into two parts. Periodicals are annotated and listed alphabetically. Included are such titles as The Bead Journal, Stained Glass, The Rug

Hooker, News and Views, as well as the more well-known

craft journals. There is a lengthy section of reference books divided in such detail as to be able to readily locate materials on specific areas such as "raku," ''enameling."

"spinning," "basketry," etc.

Contemporary Crafts Market Place is a complete volume for the beginning craftsman, the professional, or as a library reference source. All aspects of crafts from origin to market are covered, providing the novice with every detail necessary to pursue his craft. Although the librarian or beginning craftsman can make no value judgments about the suppliers listed, the compilation in itself is an invaluable aid which could save hours of research.

?Jill Caldwell Indiana University

The Secular Spirit: Life and Art at the End of the Middle

Ages. New York, E.P. Dutton, in association with the

Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975. 287p. S8.95 pa. ISBN 0-525-49507-X (cloth ed.) 0-87099-096-9 (pa.) CIP: LC 74-7893

When one thinks of medieval art, it is usually the religious art of the cathedrals and abbeys which most readily comes to mind. However, from 1300 to 1550, "it is the seculariza tion of thought and activity that ultimately reveals itself as the motivating source." It is this which is the subject of The Secular Spirit: Life and Art at the End of the Middle

Ages. While this book is primarily the catalogue of an exhibi

tion held this past spring at the Cloisters, it is nevertheless an important reference source, for it has collected together information which heretofore could only be located with

great difficulty in scattered works. In addition, it is a

highly readable work for both the scholar and lay person. There are eight chapters covering the household: per

sonal adornment; labor, commerce and travel: learning:

science and technology; hunting, gaming, and sports: music and musical instruments; and ceremony and custom.

Each chapter is further divided into more specific categories such as health and cleanliness, coinage, books and learning time, and death. Each chapter has a general introduction written by a speciahst (sometimes a curator from the Met, sometimes an outside curator or university professor), followed by a brief discourse on the specific subject co vered. It is, however, the catalogue entries which provide the most useful information. In addition to the usual

physical description of the object, the authors go into

great detail about how the object was used, explanations of scenes depicted, and how it may differ from similar

objects of the same time in a different locality. The em

phasis is on the burgher, or middle class, but there are also several objects which would have been used by the

nobility, and even a few from the peasant class. While

religious scenes frequently appear on many objects, it is their secular use which is important here. The examples come from all parts of Europe and England.

While most of the illustrations are in black and white, there are 15 color plates as well. There is a minor problem in using the catalogue: the illustrations are not numbered. This can lead to initial confusion, as for example, when the authors discuss platters; it is sometimes difficult at first to determine which is the platter in question.

There are a multitude of objects covered; everything from shaving utensils to chesspieces. Among the more

interesting are a printing block for playing cards, medi cal instruments, soap, and girdle books (a small book in a leather pouch which can be attached to a belt; al

though such books were usually Bibles or prayer books, S-3

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