Phil has written one of the first guides to buying and collecting Mata Ortiz pottery. This little book will provide the beginning and veteran collector with valuable information about the village of Mata Ortiz and its pottery. He will not tell you who or what to buy, but will guide you through the process, no matter your preference. We understand that preference is personal. We will not try and steer you to anyone or any one style of pottery. What we will do is explain a little history of the village, the pottery phenomenon, how the pottery is made, and what questions to ask if you want to buy. We will add a few details about getting here to the village and what to expect when you come. This book is written from a village perspective. The author lives full-time in the village and knows the potters and the pottery. He sponsors the village baseball team and serves on the village water commission! He and his wife have dug clay and manganese and have seen the process from start to finish. They know enough to leave the pottery making to those with the amazing talent to turn the bounty of the earth into the beauty of your home. The author brings a strong historical sense to the collector. The purpose of the book is not to speak for the potter. They are fully capable of doing that for themselves. Phil simply knows first-hand the experience of coming to the village for the first time and has over a decade of experience of many trips, ultimately building a home for his family along the beauty of the Palanganas River. Phil will not sell you a pot, nor lead you to the pot or potter "you should buy!" There will be few names mentioned in this book. The style, potter, and price are up to you. This is your basic guide to the world of Mata Ortiz. In a few pages, we hope to help you become a devotee of the village and its wonderful people. Bien venido a Mata Ortiz! Mata Ortiz Pottery Buyer's Guide is available as a Kindle eBook and as a paperback. In the eBook version the photos are in full color; the paperback photos are black and white. Otherwise, the text is identical in both.
About the Author: Phil Stover's career has spanned thirty-eight years of service in ministry and education. He has held key administrative and academic posts in both K-12 and higher education, most recently serving as Deputy Superintendent in the San Diego Unified School District and Interim Superintendent in the Sweetwater Union High School District. His extensive and diverse academic training is evenly divided between education, history, theology, and psychology. Additionally, he served as an ordained Baptist and licensed Mennonite minister, as well as an associate professor specializing in the integration of psychology and theology. In 2002, Philip Stover was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He was appointed to the Sarasota County Historical Commission and is a member of the American Historical Association and the Conference on Latin American History along with a number of other historical groups. He is also a member of the National Coalition of Independent Scholars. Phil has a ranch in Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua where he grows pecans and various fruits. He is a gifted speaker and enjoys presenting to various clubs and fraternal groups in the Casas Grandes/Galeana region about the area's history, especially that of its colorful revolutionary period. Phil's most recent book Reflections on Time is a delightful collection of stories about time and its influence on our lives. Phil draws on his years as a collector of watches and clocks, a historian, and a professor to weave wonderful stories into the tapestry of the book. If you like a good inspirational, yet non-sectarian read, this book is for you. Phil's books are as much about the joy of writing as anything else. In addition to Reflections on Time, Phil has published an award-winning (Writers Digest) scholarly work, Religion and Revolution in Mexico's North about the impact of religion and revolution on each other in Mexico's turbulent past as well as a guide to the beloved pottery of the village of Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua, Mata Ortiz Pottery Buyer's Guide. In the fall of 2016 Phil will publish The American Public School District, an analysis and memoir of his time spent working in and with America's public school districts. Continuing with his love of the study of religion and conflict, Phil will publish, in the winter of 2016 For Thy Kingdom, a doctrinal case study of the Mountain Meadows Massacre in Utah in 1857. All of his books are available on Amazon as either an eBook or a traditional paperback.