Author Suzanne Von Drachenfels, former tabletop consultant to Fitz and Floyd, uncovers the process of creating dinnerware from coloring to glazing through firing. There's an explicit glossary of decorative methods and styles that will be useful to anyone who ever wanted to know the difference between rococo and majolica.

The final third of this volume elaborates on the history behind each course, and the proper way to serve it. The book concludes with several chapters on table manners, including an A-Z guide on how to eat difficult foods such as lobsters and pomegranates.