This exciting new book, the result of five years of research and writing, is the first-ever in-depth study of the leading vessel in the European glassmakers repertoire between 1650 and 1950. In presenting the subject on a wide stage, The Decanter provides the reader with a history of European and American glassmaking from a decanter perspective. Illustrated by photographs, patterns and drawings of thousands of examples drawn from numerous public and private collections, the text encompasses the stylistic and technical evolution of fine glassmaking and its influences and social uses. Drawing from hundreds of documentary sources and benefiting from the knowledge and experience of scores of experts in Britain, Europe and the United States, The Decanter is the most comprehensive and current history of fine glassmaking ever published. It provides a glossary of the names of all familiar shapes for the first time and dispels the innumerable myths surrounding the subject. Written by a former journal