From the Antique Pocket Guides series - a useful series for the collector of small antiques. Collecting small antiques can be of absorbing interest, partly because of items are easy to display and partly because they can be found in a great variety of places, including antique shops, public auctions, bric-a-brac stalls, jumble sales and flea-markets. Each title in this new series is written by an expert in his or her chosen subject. There is a wealth of practical advice to help the novice over any initial hurdles, guidance on prices and over 100 illustrations to help with identification. Each book could lead the way to a remarkably satisfying hobby.''This book is intended to suggest the fascinating possibilities of collecting some of the finest glassware ever to gleam and sparkle on English tables, long overlooked by connoisseurs of drinking glasses. One of the pleasures of preparing such a book is the opportunity it offers to discover fellow enthusiasts with a shared admiration for past - and present - craftsmen and their superb lead crystal, world-renowned for centuries as flint-glass. I am extremely grateful to those who have given time and thought in helping me to select illustrations worth of my subject. These include treasured pieces from fine private collections and notable specimens, too, from museums in glass-making regions in London, the West Midlands and the North, where readers may go and see for themselves - and by looking learn far more than my words can ever convey.''From the Introduction.