http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/865273176

Josiah Wedgwood : entrepreneur to the enlightenment

"Industrial icon, Enlightenment pioneer, scientist and artist - Josiah Wedgwood's remarkable life reflected the revolutionary age in which he lived. In this intimate biography, Brian Dolan explores how a young man from a North Staffordshire family of failing porters overcame childhood smallpox and disability to become the wealthiest and most famous potter of all time." "Born in 1730 in a 'dirty spot of Earth' in the Midlands, Josiah, like many boys his age with poor prospects, could have ended up in the workhouse, or in the alehouses. But this remarkable man showed astonishing determination, talent and a desire for self-improvement from an early age. Vases and wares literally filled his dreams. Through his scientific experiments and business ventures, aided by his wife, Sally, and his dear friend and business partner, Thomas Bentley, he aimed to become 'potter to the Universe'. He created exquisite items, and made pottery into a science and an art." "He established Etruria, his factory and village near Stoke-on-Trent, where his revolutionary basalt and jasperware was developed, and where he was known by his workers as 'Owd Woodenleg'."--BOOK JACKET.

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