A guide to the principles involved in firing kilns. White the author accepts that potters tend to fire kilns by "the seat of their pants", he firmly believes that a sound knowledge of the science involved is necessary to underpin the intuitive approach. In this book, Nils Lou discusses the structure of various fuel-burning kilns and explains how kilns work. He makes the point that for reliable results, the potter needs to know how pots react to atmospheric changes both inside and outside the kiln. He also explains how to diagnose problems so that results can be improved and poor firings eliminated.