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Decorated Stoneware of Cowden and the Stoneware Potteries of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1852-1924 Matthew R. Miller Self-published, 2001 Approx. 400 color photographs, 169 pages (hb), $39.95. Available from www.harrisburgstoneware.com Reviewed by Scott H. Suter This compact volume fills a gap that has long been empty--the need for historic information regarding Harrisburg's pottery production combined with photographic evidence of the variety of pieces produced. Matthew Miller's self-published book offers an impressive array of photographs, moving chronologically through the city's pottery manufactures and providing new information for historians of nineteenth-century American ceramics. Not since Jeanette Lasansky published her works on Pennsylvania potters has a work dealt specifically with eastern Pennsylvania potters, and none have focused on so limited an area. This close focus, however, is not a detriment to the work, and in fact it allows Miller to hone in on the pieces themselves, demonstrating the interconnectedness of the potters as well as the decorative motifs on the wares. As the title suggests, a large portion of the book is devoted to the pottery produced by members of the Cowden family and their associates. The years 1863 to 1881 were clearly the heyday of Harrisburg pottery production, and Miller provides ample proof of the decorative quality of the works of the firm of Cowden & Wilcox. Cleverly, the photos of this period are arranged according to the form of decoration: flowers, fruit, birds, the man in the moon, and various other images. This arrangement is beneficial, allowing the reader to compare and contrast the techniques of various anonymous decorators working on the same moif. The book is rounded out with a concise price guide which provides actual auction prices realized for specific pieces. Miller has thoughtfully placed this price guide at the end of the book, preventing such information from detracting from the body of the work which obviously focuses on the potters' works, not their value in the current market. Any review of this competently compiled book must mention that the entire work, from concept to page design, was created by a nineteen year old college freshman. This will certainly surprise many; however, it should encourage others to publish work of this caliber on topics they have studied laboriously. Matthew Miller's work will long be a useful and handy reference for anyone interested in the stoneware of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.