Just in case you may have missed out on seeing my retrospective book published by Kodansha, I thought I’d add some more info about it here for anyone who might be interested;

The book was released in Nov. of 2007 in Japan and has slowly been making it’s way overseas (due to the  lack of an overseas distributor). The  hardcover volumn is a completely bilingual edition with 128 pages of full color and 40 pages of black & white photos illustrating my personal selections of the work I’ve been doing since my early days in clay at Antioch College in 1977 right up to 2007.

The edition is prefaced with a Foreward by the former Grand Master of the Urasenke Tradition of Tea, Dr. Sen Genshitsu, my mentor and patron for the past 30 years and one of the most highly respected cultural figures in all of Japan. The book is separated into the 5 primary periods in my career; ’77~’79- Quest, Encounter, Transformation / ’79~’84- The Apprenticeship Years / ’85-’92- The Creation Of Richado-Gama  / ’93~2000- Crystallizing the Vision / 2000~’07- A New Challenge- Connecting Two Worlds.

Additional features include; Messages from some of my oldest friends & patrons throughout Japan as well as an essay looking at the origins of my Japan connection, a dialoge with my friend, the internationally celebrated Japanese painter Hiroshi Senju, and a comprehensive analytical essay on my works by the reknowned scholar of Japanese ceramics and current Director of the Eisei Bunko Museum (the repository of the treasures of the Hosokawa Family of Kumamoto) as well as Cheif Curator of the Ibaragi Prefectural Museum of Ceramic Art, Dr. Jun’ichi Takeuchi.

If you click on the Outside Links tab to the right of this page you can find more info about the book as well as most of the places that are currently selling copies. Below is a brief review by the well known potter Steven Branfman, author of several books on ceramics, particularly Raku, as well as the founder of the Potter’s Shop Studio, Gallery & Bookstore in Needham Ma.

Tea Ceramics Artist Richard Milgrim, A Retrospective                   Reviewed by Steven Branfman (March 2008)

This is a luscious book that will both educate and inspire. Richard Milgrim is an American potter whose work enjoys the honor and distinction of being endorsed by the 15th Generation Grand Master Of Urasenke, Dr. Sen Genshitsu. In glorious color photos the book follows the career of Milgrim from his student days at Antioch college in 1977, through his apprenticeships in Japan, and on to his acceptance and success as a maker of tea ceremony vessels. His pots are beyond description and the full page photos bring the shapes, surfaces, and nuances of the artists touch to life. A collection of comments and essays complete the text which is presented in both Japanese and English. Whether or not you have a particular interest in teabowls, this is a book not to be missed