This volume celebrates and reveals the critical role of Charles C. Kolb in creating and sustaining the knowledge of ceramic studies through his work in writing, reviewing, and fostering an international and interdisciplinary climate of interaction for more than 25 years at the annual meetings of the American Anthropological Association (AAA). The contributions in this volume testify to the enduring influence and value of Kolb's holistic vision to ceramic studies. As has so often been the case in these symposia on ceramics at the AAA, cross-cutting themes emerge from these contributions and unite them into a collection that is greater than the sum of its parts. Particularly prominent themes in the chapters of this volume include (1) the exploration of production and distribution patterns using a variety of physico- chemical techniques, (2) investigations of political economy as revealed in exchange patterns and decorative modes, and (3) the social dimensions of pottery production and ceramic traditions.