100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Auckland Bookstore open Saturday & Sunday 🎉 Don't forget Father's Day is next weekend 📅

Handbuilt

A Modern Potter's Guide to Handbuilding with Clay
4.55 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 74 ratings, 5 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Handbuilt by Lilly Maetzig is a modern beginner's guide to hand building with clay, offering 23 stylish homewares projects that require no pottery wheel. This accessible book teaches the core techniques of pinching, coiling, and slab building, guiding readers through preparing, shaping, decorating, glazing, and firing clay to achieve a professional finish.

Ideal for complete beginners, it covers fundamental skills like wedging clay and working with moulds before moving on to practical projects such as coffee cups, teapots, vases, plates, and candle holders. Clear step-by-step instructions, expert tips, and inspiring photography make it the perfect introduction to the timeless craft of hand-built pottery.
Read More
Format: Hardback
$4199

International Supplier

This title is in-stock with overseas suppliers. While it is not available locally, we fly books in weekly from the US and UK to our Auckland warehouse for immediate dispatch.

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Handbuilt is suitable for complete beginners and enthusiasts eager to develop pottery skills without the complexity of a wheel, making it ideal for creative home crafters and those interested in contemporary ceramic homewares.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Create a collection of 23 stylish homewares with this modern guide to working with clay.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Create 23 stylish homewares with this modern beginner’s guide to hand building with clay – no pottery wheel required.

Handbuilt introduces you to one of the oldest and most accessible ways to make ceramics, teaching you everything you need to start creating beautiful pottery by hand.

Perfect for complete beginners, the book takes you through the three essential hand-building techniques – pinching, coiling and slab building – before showing you how to decorate, glaze and fire your pieces for a professional finish.

Start with the fundamentals, from wedging clay and adding texture to working with moulds, then put your new skills into practice with 23 contemporary projects for the home. Make everyday and decorative pieces including coffee cups, a teapot, vases, dinner plates, candle holders and more.

With Handbuilt, you'll learn how to:


  • Master the three core hand-building techniques: pinching, coiling and slab building
  • Prepare, shape and add texture to clay
  • Decorate, glaze and fire your finished pieces
  • Create 23 stylish and practical ceramic homewares
  • Build your pottery skills and confidence project by project


Packed with clear step-by-step instructions, Lilly’s expert tips and inspiring lifestyle photography, Handbuilt is the ultimate modern introduction to the tactile, creative and timeless craft of hand-built pottery.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781787139176

Publisher: Quadrille Publishing Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 11 May 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Quadrille Publishing Ltd

Illustration: Full-colour Photography

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 210.0mm

Height: 262.0mm

Weight: 862g

Pages: 176

About the Author

Lilly Maetzig is the maker behind Mae Ceramics. Originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, Lilly has always had a keen interest in pottery. After graduating, she discovered a love for hand building techniques and now she makes ceramics to sell and offers workshops from her studio.

Also by Lilly Maetzig

View all
  • Thrown
    Thrown is a beginner's guide to making ceramics using a pottery wheel. Beginning with the basics, this book will teach you how to create a collection of 20 stylish homewares from construction to completion with a professional finish including decoration, glazing and firing techniques. From dinner plates, pasta bowls, coffee mugs to decorative vases, a rippled lampshade and more, each...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from Arts & Culture

View all
  • Dylan's Pick
    Bold Types
    A tribute to 32 truly independent bookshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from north of Auckland down to Dunedin, and coast to coast. Jane Ussher's photographs show every bookstore in its unique nature - including behind the counter, smoko rooms, the mess which tells the hardworking story behind the joy of matching books with customers. Jemma Moreira's careful editing has crafted...
    Hardback
    $5999
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    Home Again
    Join rock-legend, former Shihad frontman and lead singer of The Adults, Jon Toogood in this unflinching and no-holds-barred memoir Home Again.This is more than a rock story. Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it. From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    New Release
    Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far you’ll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5299
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Buy to Win
    Did I Ever Tell You This?
    In this unexpected memoir, written in a creative burst of just a few months in 2022, Sam Neill tells the story of how he became one of the world’s most celebrated actors, who has worked with everyone from Meryl Streep to Isabel Adjani, from Jeff Goldblum to Sean Connery, from Steven Spielberg to Jane Campion. By his own account, his...
    Paperback
    $3799
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    Hardback
    $7299
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • They Bloom Because of You
    Bestselling author and Instagram sensation Jessica Urlichs returns with a new collection of beautifully observed poems about the ever-evolving journey of motherhood - the hard, the magic and the fleeting. ‘A raw and honest read that makes you feel seen and understood in a way that will bring you to tears.’ - Hilary Swank ‘A book to keep close and...
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • On Sale
    14% off
    Leaves of Grass
    A collectible new Penguin Classics series offers beautiful, slim, clothbound editions of ten favourite poets. In 1855, Walt Whitman published his first collection of poetry, Leaves of Grass. The volume received great praise from leading Transcendentalist poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. This encouragement led to what would become a lifelong project, as Whitman expanded and rewrote the volume until his death...
    Hardback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • On Sale
    37% off
    Great Writers and the Cats who Owned Them
    Throughout history, cats and writers have bonded together in a magical combination of comfort, companionship and inspiration. The famous authors featured here range from Samuel Johnson, whose cat Hodge dined on oysters, and Edward Lear, whose charismatic cat Foss was missing half his tail, to Margaret Mitchell, L. M. Montgomery and Dorothy L. Sayers, who rescued her kitten Blitz from...
    Hardback
    $2500
    Usually:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Buy to Win
    The Odyssey
    The Odyssey by Homer is a monumental epic that has enthralled readers for centuries with its rich tapestry of adventure and human struggle. It chronicles the perilous journey of Odysseus, the cunning King of Ithaca, as he strives to return home after the fall of Troy. During this ten-year odyssey, Odysseus confronts myriad dangers, both natural and supernatural, that test...
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Beautiful Chaos
    The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller Selected poems from bestselling author and Instagram poet, Jessica Urlichs. 'These words awaken the magic of life by celebrating the ordinary.' - Giovanna Fletcher Motherhood is messy and beautiful, and hard and humbling. We adore our children and sometimes we miss ourselves. Beautiful Chaos is a collection of raw, honest poems about motherhood, capturing everything...
    Paperback
    $2900
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Devotions
    New York Times Bestseller, chosen as Oprah's 'Books That Help Me Through' for Oprah's Book Club Chosen by Poetry Book Society as their special commendation 'No matter where one starts reading, Devotions offers much to love, from Oliver's exuberant dog poems to selections from the Pulitzer Prize-winning American Primitive, and Dream Work, one of her exceptional collections. Perhaps more important,...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Iliad
    When Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017—revealing the ancient poem in a contemporary idiom that was "fresh, unpretentious and lean" (Madeline Miller, Washington Post)—critics lauded it as "a revelation" (Susan Chira, New York Times) and "a cultural landmark" (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an...
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    Backorder
    Ships mid September

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.