Bernard Leach (1887-1979) was as renowned in Japan and the East as in Europe and America,both as an artist-craftsman and as a thinker. His interpretation of the traditions of the Orientin the making of pots - and in evolving a philosophy of life - was a lodestar for many potters inthe West. Beyond East and West, first published in 1978, is more than an autobiography. Full of sharply-etched and amusing recollections, it contains much of Leach’s deeper thought and a great dealtoo about the practical application of his ideas. Its recurrent theme is the meeting of East andWest at all levels - artistic, cultural, social, political.
