THE BOOK OF CUPS by Garth...

THE BOOK OF CUPS by Garth Clark, photographs by Tony Cunha (Abbeville: $9.95; 96 pp.). Clark’s agreeably campy look at the humble teacup and its depiction in various media includes 18th century cups modeled after animal heads and a caricature of Prince Charles with his prominent ears forming the handle. The text falters when Clark attempts to imbue his subject with more weight than it can sustain: Marilyn Lysohir’s “Dazzle Cup Saucer” (1986) looks less like an “anti-war statement” than a pretentious example of contemporary ceramics.