Furniture Books

This is the definitive book on evaluating American Arts & Crafts furniture made by Gustav Stickley, L. & J.G. Stickley, and the Roycroft Shop. A must have book for the advanced collector.

I picked up this book because I see so much of this furniture in antique shops and I wanted to be able to distinguish it from other periods. Although I've never been particularly interested in this period, I found this book to be quite interesting.

The book explains the history of the furniture and its development, with lots of anecdotes along the way. Through the many color photographs, you will learn how to spot specific types of furniture and get a better idea of which company might have manufactured a specific piece.

One of the topics addressed early in the book is the use of veneer. The authors explain that 'veneer' doesn't have to be a dirty word and that even the ancient Egyptians used a form of it. There is a section devoted to the repairing and replacing of veneer. They also provide detailed explanations for such terms as 'burl' and 'pollarding.' They explain the differences between better- and lesser-quality ('borax') furniture, and a pricelist (1999 values) is also included.

This is a fascinating and truly readable analysis of the importance of the several Williamsburg cabinet making shops and the role they played in the furnishing of homes of eastern Virginia. Williamsburg was far more important a center of influence in the decorative arts, as it was in other areas, than it has been given credit for, and this careful exploration bears this out in a very enjoyable way. The photography is splendid, and the piece-by-piece furniture analysis takes on the air of a detective novel after a while. Highly recommended.

a one stop source for those not so common restoration projects. for the serious furniture restorer, this title should be included in his or her library. after completing almost 100 restoration projects, i still refer to this book.

If you want to see what collectors of American antique furniture could find in the first half of the 20th century, this is a great book. It contains many, many (black & white) photos of wonderful pieces in all major categories of furniture. Each category is chronologically organized from the Puritan period up to late Federal (nothing really from Neo-classical on however). Note that there is very little data provided for each item - this is really a photographic reference. Even so, for the novice this is a great book because it provides so much variety to view in one place. For the expert it is a great place to see rare and highest quality pieces. No collector of American period furniture should be without this book.

I got so many great design ideas from this wonderful book. Lots of pictures to inspire anyone looking for ideas. I will use this book a lot.

Because we have moved to a small Sierra town where we have a cottage garden as well as a quaint garden gate, rock walls and wire fence I found this book which is shy 100 pages to be visually appealing as well as helpful. The book is about 5X7 in size but the text and photographs are lucicous.

The gate on page 60 is right out of one of my favorite books THE SECRET GARDEN. But the author begins her text by saying "Gates have many purposes-practical. romantic and ornamental.... And I think they also have a rich history. Personally I prefer the rock walled gardens of Ireland Scotland and England which often have quaint wooden gates.

This hardcover book is a large format, 12x12" size, so it's coffee table suitable for the price of a magazine. If you like spare, modern decor, this is not your book. The room photos are colorful and well accessorized. Some trompe l'oeil is seen on a few pages.There are ideas for city terrace, kitchen, sunroom, bath, bedroom, and more. Generous use of floral patterns with wallpapers and drapes is the norm. These rooms are cure for the blahs or a dreary day.The last pages have a helpful resource directory too.

This book contains plans for making various outdoor items that can be made in two days, or less. It starts out with a description of the various hand- and power-tools that would be needed to build these projects, then wood and its selection is discussed, and finally techniques of construction are discussed. Each project includes a cutting list, list of tools and sundries (screws, etc.), an exploded diagram, detailed step-by-step instructions, and a number of beautiful color(!) photos.

According to the introduction, the simplest projects are a bird table (a freestanding birdfeeder), an obelisk (a sort of three-dimensional trellis), trellises, and a trough with trellis (a trellis and box combination). The next category of projects includes an archway, box table, coldframe (sort of a mini-greenhouse for seedlings), garden bench, garden bridge, plant stand, potting bench, tool caddy, and Versailles tub (an open-topped box). The third category includes a box bench, box chair, and etagere (a sort of ornate plant-stand). And finally, the most difficult projects are a lounger, obelisk for the Versailles tub (it's more symmetrical than the other obelisk), and a tool store (a mini-shed).

These projects are absolutely wonderful! This book is good for both beginning woodworkers, and those of more medium ability. I have already made a trough and trellis, and look forward to making other things. This book is bright, with lots of color pictures, and of a very high quality. I highly recommend it!

The Garden is a celebration of the garden and of gardening, past and present. It brings together in a single volume all those elements -- botanical, social,philosophical and horticultural -- which have shaped the gardens of the world. It traces not only changing taste in garden design, ornament and species grown, but also changes in gardening methods, whether due to climate and soil conditions, scientific discovery or new techniques.

While enjoying the beauty and diversity of the many different kinds of garden presented here, the readers will also find ideas and methods which are applicable in his or her own garden and sidelights of horticultural history and lore, which will intrique or raise a smile.

A band of gardening experts and enthusiasts from around the world have contributed their knowledge and expertise to provide an authoritative text on every aspect of the garden. Botanical gardens, plant collectors and the nursery trade are all included, together with advice on garden design and practice, but the emphasis is on beautiful and interesting gardens of every type from the cottage garden to the formal terrace, the patio to the landscaped park.

Magnificent photographs are complemented by paintings, old prints and specially commissioned illustrations. Together they make a book that will give endless pleasure when weeding and pruning are done, and provide inspiration to tackle the next round of garden tasks.