I agree that the Visual Dictionary and What's What are great tools, they
both are extremely useful for naming parts (of objects).

However, the original inquiry was about describing objects (or the
parts) rather than naming them. It read, in part:
>
> I am interested in standard terms for describing the shape of objects (ie.
> everted lip, raised foot, loop handle), rather than the type of object.
>

If no one can tell us a source for such a guide, it seems it would be
worthwhile to start compiling one.  I have a start, a short list of
shapes and forms (such as lanceolate, recurved, bi-conical, etc.), but I
suspect most cataloguers pick up terms from a lot of sources, usually
reference material that is descriptive of particular kinds of artifacts.
I'd like to hear more from others on this one.

Lucy Sperlin


"Timothy S. Bottoms @ Cape Fear Museum" wrote:
>
>
> Along the same vein, check out "The Macmillan Visual Dictionary" (Barnes &
> Noble and Books-A-Million carry it) and the "Ultimate Visual Dictionary" (I
> found our copy at Target, but it can be ordered direct, go to www.dk.com).
> I have found both books to be very helpful since they cover some areas not
> covered by "What's What."  By the way, can someone tell me where to
> purchase a copy of "What's What," our's is falling apart.
>

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