Antique Furniture Books

A great technical resource for all types of media used in making art dolls. Work shown is amazing.

great book, wonderful instructions, not for amateurs, more advanced i think. the dolls featured are amazing.

I have this book for 2 years now,and I have to say it is intelligently written. There is a mass of information,well organized,some details in constuction,and on the whole,it is a great volume to have in your collection on art dolls.

Too often craft/art books are whatever the subject is by-the-numbers. Do this, do that, voila you have a finished project just like mine. This is so much more and exactly what it should be. Layers of information. Beautiful examples. A book that inspires you to choose your own path. This is the best type of creativity inspiring book. I purchased this along with "500 Handmade Dolls" (which shares many of the same artists work) and have found hours of enjoyment. Very well done book.

LIKE ANATOMY OF THE DOLL THIS BOOK OF SUSANNA'S IS ALSO A MUST
HAVE.I AM NOW ADDICTED.

This is a beautiful book illustrating every style imaginable in chronological order. An easy way to learn about style. Worth every cent.

I had taken this book out from a library to get some ideas for my final project in my cabinet making course and I just had to have it. I like the way the furniture is classified for each time period and also the many pictures and their discriptions.

I waited and reviewed many books on furniture history and was very pleased with this one. Many beautiful pictures and great information to go with it. Judith Miller is a well penned author in the area of Interior Design. My husband could not put this book down until the end, and was online trying to find many of the pieces for sale! Worth the wait of being picky about what I wanted in a book of this topic. Many of the items in here were, or are, for the top 1% of our society, but you can take the information and apply it intelligently to other more common pieces to get the history and inspiration for those items. I could go on and on, but just trust me when I say, the ink stops here.

This is the most thorough, extensive, well-organized, beautifully photographed book on period furniture and interiors on the market today. It should be a required text for all design schools as well as a treasured resource for collectors, historians, and lovers of furniture of all kinds. Well worth it at twice the price.

We found this book to be a useful guide for styles of furniture of the upper class of society. For doing stage productions this is very helpful, however, more pictures of "common" furniture styles would make this a perfect book for our reference. If you are interested in collecting antique or reproduction furniture you will find this a great resource. It's like strolling through a museum.

"There was a time when the sun never set on the British Empire. From Ceylon to the Americas, England ruled, bringing her lifestyle to Crown colonies around the globe.

Being stationed in India or Egypt, however, was no excuse to relax the standards of living to which British Army officers were accustomed. Living 'under canvas' did not mean roughing it. Instead, they brought their homes with them, packing cunningly constructed, portable furniture suitable for any elegant tented dinner.

Today, campaign furniture's elegance and simplicity have made it a must-have item for decorators and antique lovers. Nicholas Brawer's new book British Campaign Furniture: Elegance Under Canvas (Abrams) provides a fascinating history and a guide to collapsible decor."

I just had to have this book. The subject matter was unusual and touched on the social aspects of camp life in the British Army.
The pictures are fabulous.

This is an excellent review of British Campain Furniture.

Each piece is photographed in colour and/or Black & White, discussed and given brief measurements. The "disembled" photos are of great use to anyone who wishes to reconstruct any of the items from the book, as well as satisfying the just plain curious. Some of the gadgets are fantastic.

Unfortunately, like most books of this type, the author is limited by the pieces that he can access within a year or two. I know there were 'Campaign' folding rocking chairs, and I an certain that there are other examples of furniture, with other systems of assembly ( Louis Vouton made a folding-bed-in-a-trunk for the Brazza Expedition in Africa in the late 1800's which survives - there is a single picture in 'Treasure Chests').

I can only hope that the author will be encouraged to keep looking & photographing, and that we may see a second volume in years to come.

Sorry Amazon, you just don't have enough stars........

"If you were a British officer during the 18th or 19th century, your home had the look of a proper English residence, with desks, chairs, sofas, chests and fancy bedroom suites--even if you lived in a tent.

'The only real difference between fine household furniture and its campaign counterpart was that the latter could be quickly folded up, packed away in boxes, transported, and--without the use of nails, tacks or tools--reassembled...,' Nicholas A. Brawer writes in British Campaign Furniture.

How the furniture can be taken apart and stored is fascinating. One dining table and set of four padded chairs and a chaise lounge can be broken down into pieces that fit into two small crates.

There are pictures of the furnishings set up and stored. Often officers lived better overseas than at home. One cartoon depicts a British officer and his wife dining in their home overseas, with a half-dozen servants waiting on them, and then dining at home after retirement, with only one housekeeper.

Nearly half the book is a portfolio of the furnishings and detailed descriptions of manufacturers and furniture makers."

This book is a must have for anyone interested in English antiques, social, military, or naval history. I have never seen another book on this subject and it is filled with very interesting "before" and "after" photographs of dozens and dozens of pieces of campaign furniture "assembled" and "disassembled." I imagine this book has been a great hit in London.

In all my experience with fine woodworking I haven't had the pleasure to read a book that so well written that it is as exquisite as the pieces within. This book is a must for every serious furniture maker or perhaps collector who wants to learn and appreciate this magnificent craft. How did I miss this one?

Norman is obviously as incredibly talented an author as he is a cabinetmaker. I couldn't say enough about how great a job he did with the content of this book and drawings. I only wish he would write another one for each of the 18th century styles( Federal, Chipendale, etc) This is definately the bible for 18th century reproduction cabinetmakers. Please write another one Norman!

In all my experience with fine woodworking I haven't had the pleasure to read a book that is as exquisitly written as the pieces within it. This book is a must for the serious furniture maker or collector, or anyone who wants to learn more and appreciate this magnificent craft. How did I miss this one?

I agree with all the other reviews and can't really add much, except to say the photos are many in magnificent full colour, and he even has photos of incomplete pieces which is great for seeing how they are put together (I am specifically thinking of the easy chair). He does not stick to strict Queen Anne but covers the subtle variations such as the Gaines chair (one of my favourites) ... this book is a true gem and since receiving it I can hardly put it down. A great resource and would make a fantastic present for someone interested in woodwork. Queen Anne furniture would have to be near the pinnacle of woodworking but with this book it seems reachable.

Truly excellent.

Wish that author would write some more on other periods (ie ALL other periods from early medieval to modern). I would not hesitate to collect them all.

Recognizing that Queen Anne furniture is one of the timeless and most beautiful designs, I realized, on starting my first project, that I hadn't the foggiest idea of the history, the elements, or the construction techniques of Queen Anne furniture. This book has it all. The sections on history and the making of the cabriole legs in themselves make this book a "must have," both for the collector and for the cabinetmaker. To top it off, there are scaled plans for several projects, and some time-saving techiques for construction. If you get only one book on Queen Anne furniture, this is the one.

I've been woodworking for a a little over a year and had read about Sam Maloof in articles here and there. A few months ago I got to visit the Sam Maloof foundation and I fell in love with the way he shapes his pieces of furniture. As part of the tour we got to sit on one of his rockers and not only do they look beautiful but they are amazingly comfortable. That's when I decided to buy this book to learn more about him and his art.
This book includes Sam Maloof's story from when he first began and his experience as he grew into his woodworking career. It is inspiring to read and to see how he persevered even though it was not easy at the beginning. The book is full of pictures of his work, more than was available at the Maloof foundation. It includes a high-level description of how he makes his famous rockers too.

As you most likely know, Sam Maloof is an icon in the world of woodworking. This book does a great job of both highlighting his many creations as well as to tell the story of the man who would define an entire style and change the face of fine furniture. Written by Sam himself, the book gives you an insight into his genius and humility that you can't get anywhere else other than from the man. And it's clear he had creative input into the design of the book itself, as it's beautifully illustrated and elegantly laid out. I'm relatively new to woodworking and the brilliance of Sam Maloof, but I'm so glad I'm able to have discovered him while we're still blessed with his presence on the earth. Get this book.

IF YOU ARE INTO WOOD OR WOODWORKING AS MUCH AS I AM, OR EVEN IF IF YOU ARE ONLY INTO READING ABOUT GREAT ARTISTS/CRAFTSMEN, THIS BOOK IS A MUST FOR YOU !! IT DETAILS WITH GREAT CLARITY SAM'S LIFE & WORK THROUGH BOTH PHOTOS & REMARKABLE WRITING. I FOUND IT INFORMATIVE & INSIGHTFUL!! DO NOT PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN THIS BOOK !!!

BILL

Sam Maloof is a world treasure. His book reflects his passion and skill as a master. Sam's book is not written in a pompous manor but in a matter of fact point of view. Sam shares his life with us and puts it on paper. I have had the opportunity to meet Mr. Maloof and his lovely and gracious wife, Alfreda before her passing. Sam's love and passion for his craft is second only to his devotion to God and his love for his beautiful wife. His book reflects that in a way that is educational, thought provoking and simple. His warm and friendly demeanor in person is very evident in this book! Sam beleives there are no secrets in woodworking. He shares his finish and techniques in this book, although this is NOT a "how to" book. Reading this book, you will learn something about philosophy, Spirituality and some woodworking along the way.

Keith Kidd Vice-President Cerritos Student's Woodworking Association (CSWA)

I bought this book when I was a student of woodworking/cabinetmaking in college, after hearing and seeing and studing some of Mr.Maloof's work in class. I found his command and respect for his craft, and the material that he works with to be second to none. His work is a insperation in it's self but once you find out the story behind this unbeliveable man it is all the more fasanating. his simple thoughts and down to earth style are a insperation to all. after reading this book I was amazed and inspired by this man and will remember and re-read this book may times.he will always be a insperation to myself and all woodworkers for years to come

Nakashima, a woodworker in the classic sense. Only wanted the tree to live on longer by working with and creating with it. This book is a great example of the love one can have for both nature and woodwork.
Any woodworker should have this book not on the shelf, but closer, to the workspace at all times.

i'm an electrician, but i really like wood... george nakashima on the other hand loved wood... his views make his work even more valuable and amazing...

Able to tug at you in so many ways. A privilege to be able to buy his product.

Like the books of James Krenov, "The Soul of a Tree" is as much a book about philosophy as it is about wood. And it's a good philosophy: slow down, take your time, play with the wood, and enjoy it. The book is really about the soul of Nakashima. He outlines some of his own personal history and how he developed his ideas about craft. There's not really much on technique here - you can certainly find better books for that - but you won't find many more inspiring.

On a personal note I had a lady call me years ago to fix up `some old furniture' she and her husband had bought years ago (in the `50's I believe.) Seems when they were young college professors they found this young oriental guy down the road who made furniture in his garage. When I looked at the furniture I told her that her young oriental friend had become quite famous and showed her this book. She was flabbergasted. What she wanted me to do was to nail up some chairs that had worked loose over time. I refused, of course, and explained to her that these were valuable pieces that should be cared for properly. I also encouraged her to contact Nakashima's Conoid Studio (if it still existed) to let them catalogue the pieces. Even after years of use by a family with kids living in the sticks the pieces were obviously crafted with meticulous care and held up surprisingly well. It was a real joy to bring them back to daily use.

Alot of philosphy, mostly biographical, has a few quotes that stick:
"Man has the audacity to try to improve the tree...."

This is a MUST read for a woodworker.

This book filled my burning desire to know everything about dollhouses & furniture from the last 50 years. There are no gaps of missing information or omitions of important items in this detailed and comprehensive book. Quite a relief after seeing an army of inadequate collector books flood the market. I'll have hours of fun reading this. My only complaint is some of the photos are dark or of poor color quality. I want to view these things in their full glory.

Informative, well written, well illustrated. If you're a collector, this book is a great reference.

This book is jam-packed with useful info, great pictures, and a very enjoyable writing style. I found myself constantly saying "I had that -- I remember that -- my friend had that one!" The book has been my constant companion ever since it arrived. What's more, it has sparked a new interest in collecting the old tin litho houses from the 50s and 60s -- items I had all but forgotten when I moved on to 1" scale wood miniatures. Thank you for a truly remarkable book, one which many of my friends will be enjoying, too.

After searching for a reference book of this type for many months, I finally discovered this book through the internet. I have over 50 collectible reference books in my library and this one I would rate at the very top. A comprehensive, beautifully photographed, helpful reference guide.

Zillner has actually answered burning questions I've had on dollhouses and their furnishings. This is by far the BEST reference I've seen in 25 years of collecting. I highly recommend the book.

Author Cheryl MacLachlan writes "...'English style' refers to the unique constellation of elements - homegrown and foreign - that the English have taken as their own". This book shows you how to create a beautiful, charming English atmosphere in your home, and in your life.

My bedtime ritual now includes sitting down with a steaming cup of tea while browsing through every page of this book. After collecting and borrowing dozens of books on this topic, I find this one to be the most comprehensive and inspiring resource for the lover of anything English.

"Like a house, Bringing It Home - England is divided into rooms"...The book's chapters cover the following topics:

(1) The Substance of the English Style: common threads that unite all English homes, walls, motifs, graphics and everything out of the ordinary

(2) The Living Room: how to arrange furniture, select fabrics, and my favorite topic: how to create the look of a traditional English drawing room

(3) The Bedroom: creating a "cozy sanctuary", creating the romantic look (I can attest to the fact that her advice in this section works beautifully!), how to create the English look in your bath, and there is even a section on creating the look in a nursery!

(4) The Dining Room: special emphasis on creating a "tailored, handsome" look. Includes information on English china, porcelain and crystal. There is even a guide to selecting tables and chairs.

(5) The Garden: No book about English style would be complete without information on creating a traditional English garden. Includes a primer on the art of flower arrangement.

)6) The Kitchen: The floors, cabines, furnishings and "cooker" are all covered in this section as well as my very favorite subject on the pleasure of "taking tea". Oh, life is grand!!!!

(7) A Resource section which includes information on all the "English-style" essentials and where to find them. Includes a reading list and travel ideas.

The information is practical and inspiring, as are the beautiful photographs. I feel this is the best book on this topic anywhere.

5 Stars. Enjoy.

I like this book because it addresses a diverse range of topics on how to achieve the English style. It describes the origin of each decorating tradition, offering an explanation or rationale for why something is characterized as "English," rather than just laying out a blueprint to follow. I also liked that cooking was incorporated into the book, and several appealing photos of food and recipes are provided.

Being a lover of all things English, I have several books and this is the very best of all. This book is chock full of information on how to achieve the style, what makes it "English" and the photographs are fabulous. I have never read a book of this style that had so much research that went into it. I also enjoyed several receipes that were included and the section that dealt with the meaning of words and how Americans and British differ in their usage.

This is a very TRADITIONAL (and Classical) English decorating book. It is not an "how-to" book at all, but rather, a visual journey throughout homes that are all decorated in the "Traditional" and/or "Classic" English style (in other words: this book is not about "modern" English decorating at all).

I own two other books by this outstanding author (Cheryl MacLachlan) and she always does such a nice job at taking readers into the world of European decorating, by showing a variety of homes in the various styles... as stated in the book's title.

If you own any of the Henrietta Churchill's books (ie: her books on decorating a 'la "English classical style") then you are probably familiar with Classical/Traditional English decorating. If not, browse through this book and/or Henrietta's many decorating books, and you will understand the English "classical" style a bit better.

One difference: The homes in this MacLachlan book are homes that are probably owned by middle-class English families, and are NOT owned by upper-class English families , --- such as all of Henrietta's books show. Therefore, if you want to decorate your home in English style, then this MacLachlan book is more doable & relavent to you. Personally, I like both author's books (MacLachlan's and Churchill's books) because together they show all the possibilities when incorporating Classical English decorating in your current home(s).

A warm and wonderful volume for any hopeless Anglophile. Great gift.

Book is well illustrated, with lots of good information on period furniture.

Excellent service and book as good as or better than originally thought to be. Would definitely order from them again.

This book is a classic and all the other reviews are right-on. If you're interested in woodworking--especially creating antique reproduction designs buy this book. It's cheap. Now if you're a woodworking novice, you'll likely be intimidated at the design detail saying "how can anyone ever carve that!" and you'll be tempted to throw it on the shelf and forget it. That's OK. If you keep doing woodworking, you'll find yourself coming back to look at Chippendale. You'll go to antique shows and museums and see the real thing and eventually gain the confidence to give it a try. The book is inspiring in its design. You should own it if you're interested in finewoodworking because over the years, your comfort with it will be a measure of your own woodworking maturity.

The ball and claw foot is perhaps the one thing most commonly associated with Chippendale, but it is omitted entirely since it had gone out of fashion by the time he wrote the book. Instead, he includes Rococo, Chinese, and Gothic designs. The Rococo designs are extremely heavily ornamented, and fashioned in the most outlandish curved shapes: if you ever thought Pablo Picasso and "modern art" was too far out, take a look at these! The ribbon back chairs struck me as a particularly interesting design. The Chinese designs are far more subdued, and most have a bit of a swastika motif built into them. The editor for the modern version has added an appendix with several photographs of original Chippendale era furniture (not necessarily built by Chippendale himself), including several chosen to show that it really was possible to build the more elaborate designs. This is perhaps the single most historically significant book on furniture design ever written, and no furniture library would be complete without it.

This large catalog style paper back book is an excellent reference for architecture, furniture and design. Black drawing on newsprint paper, this book was a catalog of Thomas Chippendale's furniture shop in England and gives detailed motifs for the antique dealer and cabinet maker alike.

I've never seen a finer book of Tiffany Lamp photographs. The photographer for this book developed a new technique for photographing stained glass and this is a landmark book. There are photo's in this book of some of the rarest of all the Tiffany lamps - many I've never seen before. Buy this book before it goes out of print!

Over the years, there have been many books written on Tiffany's leaded glass lamps.

Most were very expensive, they had very biased opinions of the author, and some were down right full of technical errors!

I use these books as references to make my reproduction pieces. Without these resources, my job is a lot more difficult.

It is so refreshing to find a new book that not only has excellent quality photos, but also presents a fresh review of a very important topic!

Overall, I found very few technical miscues and I think this book is the best value on the planet for this niche. It contains several previously unpublished lamp patterns. The photos of actual equipment used at Tiffany Studios is very impressive. The authors did their homework!

If you want a great starter book for your library on Tiffany or just need a beautiful book for your coffee table, this book is a winner!

I really enjoyed this book. The color full page pictures are great.

I'd postponed writing a review of this book because I imagined that it was only fair to read the entire text before I wrote about it. I've never really gotten to concentrate on the words, though, because the photos are so, *SO* astonishingly beautiful.

This isn't simply a collection of lamp pictures, taken as though they're head-and-shoulders photos in a police lineup. Many of the lamps have multiple views, from very small (to show off how drapery glass was used, for instance), to a general detail shot, to photographs of the bases the company used to accompany the shade. The photography quality is excellent; you really see everything you need. A professional glass artist (or drooling amateur like myself) can see the details and understand why these lamps set the bar for stained glass. Even if you know NOTHING about the subject, you'll be blown away by the overwhelming prettiness of the material.

I'm not sure if this book represents every Tiffany lamp ever made, but it must come close. Additional images show related material, such as photos of Tiffany's Long Island home (wow), cartoons for lamps we've never seen, and Tiffany Studios' 1904 advertisements for its lamps. Most of the book, however, is a study of the lamps themselves, organized by topic (such as fauna or wetlands), and analyzed in some detail.

When I drag my eyes away, I can recognize that the prose is as complete as the photographs. In addition to the historical context in which the lamps were created, there's plenty of history and analysis about their manufacture. ("Another watercolor rendering in the collection in the Metropolitan Museum is for a Snowball shade [figure 93]. Here, because of the model's domical form, the designer compensated for the curvature of the surface by opening the top sections of the shade into a series of regular projections, just as a cartographer has to allow for the curvature of the globe.") Some of it is a bit dry and academic, at least for those of us who are here primarily to say, "ooh, how pretty!" but if you cared about the details, you would definitely appreciate its depth. In other words: there's plenty to look at, and there's plenty to read, depending on what you're looking for.

You can find a few other collections of Tiffany's works, but I can't imagine you'll find a better one.

It is about time that another great book joins the volumes published in the 70's and 80's. There is some new information here as well as photos of lamps that have not been seen for years. This book is well worth the money for any fan of these incredible lamps.