The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius - Hardcover

Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan are the authors of many distinguished books about art, including Action Jackson and Christo And Jeanne-Claude: Through the Gates and Beyond. Their most recent collaboration, Ballet for Martha, earned five starred reviews and a Sibert Honor. Ms. Greenberg lives in St. Louis, Missouri. Ms. Jordan lives in New York, New York.

“Eccentricity may sometimes be a taxing quality in real life, but on the page it is an easy source of delight. The flamboyant 19th-century Mississippi artisan George E. Ohr took pride in his peculiarity, calling himself a "rankey krankey solid individualist." Born several years before the Civil War, the man who would become posthumously famous for creating dazzlingly imaginative vases, bowls and teapots worked in an atmosphere of deprecation in his own era. Ohr's bittersweet story leaps from the nonfiction pages of Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan's "The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius" (Roaring Brook, 56 pages, $17.99).

We meet George as a boy, the black sheep of his family in the Gulf Coast town of Biloxi. At 22, however, he discovered his vocation: "When I found the potter's wheel I felt it all over like a duck in water," he wrote later. Soon Ohr was turning out bizarre and wonderful wares: ruffled vases, undulating pitchers and curious shining pots that seem to wave or twirl in the light. Despite George's showmanship-he bragged prodigiously and wore his mustaches curled around his ears-neither he nor his work was much valued until 50 years after his death. This appealing account is full of strangely endearing photographs, including one of the mad potter tucking his fists behind his crossed arms to show off his biceps.” ―The Wall Street Journal

“...will certainly prod them to ask themselves if they're really living life to the fullest.” ―Publishers Weekly

“* The authors do an excellent job describing this larger-than-life character through quotes and plentiful color photos of his pottery, or "mud babies" as he referred to his creations. Of particular interest are the archival sepia photos, including the two large, double-page images depicting the artist in his barnlike studio with piles and piles of his work-and several children-about, that open and close the book.” ―School Library Journal, starred review

“A fascinating introduction to an innovative artist.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“* Unique and beautiful.” ―Booklist, starred review