author
Percival Marson
A practical early-20th-century voice in glassmaking, remembered for explaining how glass was made and why it mattered. His work also links him to important experiments with iridescent glass in Britain.
1 Audiobook
Glass and Glass Manufacture
by Percival Marson
About the author
Percival Marson is best known for Glass and Glass Manufacture, an early-20th-century guide that sets out the history, chemistry, materials, and processes behind glass production in clear, practical terms. The book was written for readers interested in the trade and for anyone wanting a solid introduction to how glass was made and used.
Available sources describe him as a glass chemist, and one specialist history of carnival glass says he worked at Sowerby on Tyneside and helped develop iridescent finishes there, first experimenting in 1905 and later contributing to the company’s lustre wares in the early 1920s. That background fits the confident, hands-on tone of his writing, which treats glass not just as an everyday material but as a skilled industrial craft.
Little easily verifiable biographical information about Marson appears to survive online beyond his technical work and his connection to the glass industry. What does come through clearly is his role as a knowledgeable explainer: someone who turned a complex manufacturing process into a readable book for students, workers, and curious general readers.