Pure nanocrystalline delta-alumina powders were coated with different fractions (5, 10, and 15 vol%) of SiO2-SrO glass using the sol-gel technique. The isostatically cold pressed powders were pressureless sintered in air for 5 h in the temperature range of 1250degreesC to 1550degreesC. The relative densities were ranged between 60 to 90% of the theoretical and were composition dependent. The density was increased with the sintering temperature. In pure alumina, the delta to alpha phase transformation went to completion by sintering at 1250degreesC. However, in the glass-coated samples, transition delta-alumina was mostly retained after sintering at the same temperature. Pure nanocrystalline alumina sintered at 1350degreesC exhibited vermicular structure with isolated pores. The microstructure of the low glass-containing samples exhibited nanocrystalline to submicron size grains arranged in platelet-shaped clusters. Samples with higher glass contents exhibited also micron-size needle-shape grains of strontium aluminate.