3 comments about Ming Furniture in the Light of Chinese Architecture.

1. This is a beautiful & scholarly book written by an eminent art historian. The organization by furniture type (i.e. chairs, tables, beds, cabinets)makes it easy to use as a reference book. The text is beautifully written and highly informative, filled with quotations & poems about Chinese culture and history. This is not a text that focuses only on cabinet-making. It explains the relationship between Chinese architecture & furniture. The photographs are not only beautiful, they also illustrate & expand upon the text in that they include current photos of furniture as well as historical paintings & illustrations showing the context for the objects. The book has an index, bibliography, and endnotes. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Chinese art & architecture.



2. Being a fan of Sarah Handler, its easy to feel the furniture flow through the Ming Architecture.
   Just having retured from China and Tibet, this book was in the back of my mind as I stood and gazed up at the columns and beams mortised and tenoned together to form the typical Chinese structural backbone. Sarah has made the connection between the structural engineering of Ming/Qing building skills and the master carpenters' use of the Lu Bang Jin manual that describes appropriate and propitious use of shapes,materials, orientation and all things lucky in architecture. Buy this book and you will be happy,have prosperity and long life!
   BEN



3. chinese furniture have a strong relationship with architecture, in its proportion, construction, and relationship to the space. I was looking forward to see a more detailed analysis of such relationship but this book turned out to be a mediocre repetition of numerous chinese furniture books already in the market. Many of the pictures are from dealer's photos or Museum's existing photos. The reference paintings are primary from Chin P'ing Mei or similar paintings which have been published numerous times by other authors. The sketch or drawings are mediocre. There are no measured or proportional anaylsis of the furniture to the architecture. I have returned this book.

1 comments about Knoll Furniture: 1938-1960.

1. If you love modern furniture, you will love the history of Knoll. This book provides excellent photos, with all the history on the family of designers that made this company what it is. Every interior designer needs to read this one!

2 comments about Turn-of-the-Century Doors, Windows and Decorative Millwork: The Mulliner Catalog of 1893.

1. This is a good reference to the time period. This is not a "how to" book but rather a period catalog expertly reproduced. This book is good for someone who is interested in creating a home with elements from the late Victorian era.



2. This is apparently a reprint of one of the really great old catalogs of Victorian Millwork! It has fabulous designs for window ornamentation, verandas, brackets, gable ends, fireplace mantels and most especially doors. Black & White sketches show an impressive variety of ideas.

No comments about Lamps and Lighting, Fourth Edition.

4 comments about Oak Furniture - The British Tradition.

1. This is an invaluable reference book on early oak furniture, which is neccessary for anyone who wishes to have an understanding of the subject. It is both full of expert knowledge explained in a clear concise manner and also contains numerous photographs of the furniture which is depicted in an organised chronogical order that clarifies the text.



2. This is a great book, it has so many photos I could not count them, then has them all in the index - a photo of each item, making it easy to locate any specifically. My only complaint is the photos are not colour but it would cost 4x as much (but perhaps would be worth that price).



3. This is the most informative book I have seen on all subjects of wooden furniture and does not limit itself to only oak. It describes in great detail the facts on why varying woods were used in each time period due to availability and why only certain trades were allowed to do specific work due to guild laws. The descriptions and photos are amazing, ( WARNING, you will be spellbound for hours looking at these...:) ), and the index at the back of the book uses the best system that I have seen by far, each picture is displayed in thumbnail size pictures and arranged by catagory. Simply look at the index section for chairs, see the thumbnail photo of the one you seek and the page location is written underneath. Family and friends borrow this book so much that I have often contemplated buying a second copy just to be sure of having it around all the time...:) This book will never go out of date. If you only ever buy one book on earlier woodworking, this is the one you must see. Would also make the best coffee table book I've ever seen.... Its BIG, its impressive and its the best, what more could you wan't?



4. if you have an interest in the development of early furniture . . . and how to recognize real pieces that are still on the market . . .and still surprisingly available . . .this is perhaps the definitive book out there . . . it is highly recommended despite how costly it is . . .

No comments about Furniture Mouldings: Full Size Sections of Moulded Details on English Furniture from 1574 to 1820.

No comments about Gillows of Lancaster and London 1730-1840: Of Lancaster and London 1730-1840.

1 comments about Early L. & J. G. Stickley Furniture: From Onondaga Shops to Handcraft.

1. First of all I would like to say that this book is not intended to be a how-to manual of furniture plans, but rather a look into one company's past catalog during a great movement in American furniture.
   
   The book is broken into three sections: 'Introduction', 'Saleman's Catalog', and 'Retail Plates'. The introduction includes some basic background on the importance of the Stickleys to the Arts and Crafts furniture movement. The salesman's catalog section contains a vintage price list as well as some rare black and white photographs and many sketch drawings of Stickley pieces (probably useful back then to the salesman trying to come up with just the right piece to satisfy a demanding customer). The retail plates are a collection of more intricate drawings of the Stickley furniture. These drawings are more detailed and often give basic dimentions of the furniture and a listing of the type of wood/materials found in the piece.
   
   I have found the 260 illustrations of early Stickly furniture contained in this book to be an interesting history lesson as well as a useful tool for generating ideas in furniture design. If you are like me and really love the Arts and Crafts style, buy this book and learn more about the wide range of furniture offered by the premiere company to build it in the Unites States.

1 comments about Roycroft Furniture Catalog, 1906.

1. Contains clean line drawings and grubby b&w photos. It is not the most interesting or attractive of Dover's many reprints of mission furniture catalogs. But it is cheap!

No comments about Living with Early Oak: Seventeeth-Century English Furniture Then.