To mark the anniversary of the International Ceramics Fair and Seminar, renowned scholars were asked to write about selected European ceramics that had been traded by the fair's founder Brian Haughton.

This book is a celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the International Ceramics Fair and Seminar, which was established in London in 1982 by Brian and Anna Haughton. Brian went on to create other, equally successful international fine and decorative arts fairs with his wife, and latterly with the aid of their children, Giles and Emma Jane, in London, New York, and Dubai. His life has been divided between his London gallery in St James's and the Haughton fairs.

To mark this anniversary, more than forty ceramics scholars, dealers, and collectors were invited to write about an object sold by Brian. The book also includes tributes to Brian from a wide range of participants at the Haughton fairs and seminars. Thus, we are delighted to present a wonderful kaleidoscope of unique ceramics from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries alongside these personal recollections.

Brian's early training and career as an actor is reflected in the theatricality of the Haughton fairs, and this extends to his personal wardrobe too. He is famous for his signature outfit at the fairs' openings, where he always wears a tie featuring butterflies, truly making him The Man with the Butterfly Tie.