I'll answer what I can, or what wasn't covered...
Quote:
How do the shard item stats compare to master crafted? Is it better than any I'm likely to be able to get solo?
They are much better then master crafted armor and virtually all gear you can get solo.
Where do I get the Pricing Manuals (i.e. recipe books) from?
Answered by Calthine (The recipe books are Heirloom also, but any crafter can use them. My provisioner as an example, can craft T2 armor)
Can I pass shards to my armourer i.e. are they and the crafted items heirloom?
They are Heirloom, so yes they can be passed on to your alt, I don't think the armor is though...so he can't craft them and send them back to you.
Am I right in thinking that tier 1 & 2 stuff do not require a raid zone pattern i.e. tier 2 is likely the best armour I can get without raiding?
You are correct. T1/T2 do not require a raid dropped pattern to be crafted, only the patterns from the tradeskill zones (or from the merchants in the Moors. But having them crafted requires 2 LESS shards per item)>
Are shard quests interesting & varied, or a dull grind?
Since there are many zones that offer shard quests, the answer is simply yes, there are many different tasks, even within the same zone (different tasks for different days), to get your shards. If you run a zone at 75+ (not scaled) one of the 'key' mobs in the zone even drops a key to open a chest, giving everyone in your group an extra shard (so that means on the Daily Double you could get 3 shards from one zone.