A List of Titles dealing with American Pewter

Books:

Note: All  books listed, with the exception of Connecticut Pewter and Pewterers, by John Carl Thomas, Pewter At Colonial Williamsburg, by John D. Davis, Pewter in Pennsylvania German Churches by Donald M. Herr, The Charles V. Swain Collection,  and An American Pewter Collection The Collection of Dr. Melvyn & Bette Wolf  are out of print. Copies of out of print books can usually be found in public libraries, out-of-print book dealers, on and off line, and occasionally on Internet auctions.

Davis, John D.  Pewter At Colonial Williamsburg. Williamsburg, VA:  The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2003.  (Note:  While the number of American forms pictured is small, the book is valuable to the collector because of the close relationship of American and British pewter forms.)

Ebert, Katherine.  Collecting American Pewter.  New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1973.

Fennimore, Donald L.  The Knopf Collectors’ Guide to American Antiques: Silver & Pewter.  New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.

Herr, Donald M.   Pewter in Pennsylvania German Churches.  Birdsboro, PA:   The Pennsylvania German Society, 1995.  * This book may be ordered directly from the author.  For the price and shipping costs, contact the author at his email address:  donmherr@aol.com

Hornsby, Peter R.G.  Pewter of the Western World, 1600 – 1850.  Exton, PA:  Shiffer Publishing Ltd., 1983 (Note:  While the number of American forms pictured is small, the book is valuable to the collector because of the close relationship of American and British pewter forms.)

Jacobs, Carl.  Guide to American Pewter.  New York: The McBride Company, 1957.

Jacobs, Celia.  American Pewter Marks & Makers, A Handbook for Collectors, rev. 2d ed. Brattleboro, VT: Stephen Green Press, 1970.

Kauffman, Henry J. The American Pewterer His Techniques and His Products. Camden, New Jersey: Thomas Nelson Inc., 1970.

Kerfoot, John Barrett.  American Pewter.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1924.

Laughlin, Ledlie Irwin.  Pewter in America: Its Makers and Their Marks. 2 Volumes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1940; Volume 3. Barre, Massachusetts: Barre Publishers, 1971.

Montgomery, Charles F.  A History of American Pewter.  A Winterthur Book. New York: Praeger, 1973.

Myers, Louis G.  Some Notes on American Pewterers.  New York: Country Life Press, 1926.

Peal, Christopher.  Pewter in Great Britain.  London:  John Gifford, Ltd., 1983.  (Note:  This is the best introductory book on British Pewter and the only book containing a chapter on English Export Pewter to the United States.  It is important to the American collector because so much American pewter was derived from English forms and because so much English pewter is found in this country.)

Pewter Collectors’ Club of America.  Collecting Antique Pewter What to Look For and What to Avoid. PCCA, 2006. Dedicated to the late John Carl Thomas, an author and dealer in antique pewter, past president of the PCCA and one of the foremost authorities on American pewter. With new material on collecting and connoisseurship, construction and fabrication and most importantly in-depth looks at fakes, forgeries and reproductions.  Click here for information and how to order.

Pewter Collectors’ Club of America.  Pewter in American Life.  Providence, RI:  Mowbray Company, 1984. (This book originally served as the catalog for the exhibit celebrating the PCCA’s Fiftieth Anniversary at The Museum of Our National Heritage, Lexington, MA. Co-authored along with the Museum’s staff by William O. Blaney, John Carl Thomas, and other PCCA committee members.)

A few copies of this book are still available. The price is $10 for members and $20 for non-members, plus shipping. Payment may be made by check, money order, or via PayPal. For details contact John or Fran Latch, 210 Wyman Ave., PO Box 536, Intervale, NH 03845-0536. Email: johnLL43@roadrunner.com or FML811@roadrunner.com.

Thomas, John Carl. Connecticut Pewter and Pewterers. The Connecticut Historical Society: Connecticut Printers, 1976.

Thomas, John Carl, Editor.  American and British Pewter.  New Jersey: The Main Street Press, 1976.

Private Collection Catalogs:

Privately printed hardcover books

“The Charles V. Swain Collection.”  Privately published, 2003.  Two hardcover books, one covering American pewter and the other covering British pewter, sold as a unit in one slip cover. 286 total pages. * This book may be ordered directly from the author.  For the price and shipping costs, contact Edward Stinson, Mid-Atlantic Auctions & Appraisals, P. O. Box 4365, Greenville, Delaware, 19807. Email address: midatlantic5@aol.com.

“An American Pewter Collection, The Collection of Dr. Melvyn & Bette Wolf.”  Privately published, 2006.  Hardcover book over 500 pages.  (plus Addendum, 2014).  These books may be ordered directly from the author.  For the price and shipping costs, contact the author at his email address:  b.m.wolf@att.net

Articles:

The Bulletin of the Pewter Collectors’ Club of America.   Published semi-annually since 1934.

Exhibition Catalogues:

“American Pewter in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.”  Danbury, Connecticut: Scroll Press, 1974.

“American Pewter, Garvan and Other Collections at Yale.”  Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin., Vol. 30, Number 3. Fall 1965.

“American Pewter.”  John Meredith Graham II. Brooklyn, New York: Brooklyn Museum. 1949.

“American Pewter.”  Richmond Virginia: Virginia Museum. 1976.

“American Pewter in the Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Melvyn D. Wolf.”  Flint, Michigan: Flint Institute of Arts. 1973.

“An Exhibition of Connecticut Pewter.”  New Haven, Connecticut: The New Haven Colony Historical Society. 1969.

“Early American Pewter; John J. Evans, Jr., Collection.”  Allentown, Pennsylvania: Allentown Art Museum. 1966.

“The Pewter in the Collection of the New Canaan Historical Society.”  New Canaan, Connecticut: The New Canaan Historical Society, 1976.

“Pewter in the Collection of the New Hampshire Historical Society.”  New Hampshire. Fall, 1968.

“Pewter in America 1650 – 1900; an Exhibition.”  Manchester, New Hampshire: The Currier Gallery of Art. 1968.

“Rhode Island Pewter, 1799 – 1865.”  Providence, Rhode Island: The Rhode Island Historical Society, 1959.