5 comments about Chairs: A History.

1. No one who has seen my home would expect me to have anything to do with a furniture book. But some perceptive friend gave me this book and now I get it! Under Ms. de Dampierre's tutelage, I have grown to understand how pieces of furniture are a reflection of the times in which they were created. This study of chairs is no less fascinating than any great work of art history and the author does an incredible job of detailing changes in social and political currents which impact the design and use of each chair in her exhaustive chronology. As importantly, the pictures are beautiful; the book is worth buying for them alone.



2. Florence de Dampierre has produced what will certainly be not only the definitive guide to the chair itself but also a witty and learned look at how modes of communication in differing cultures governed the kind of furniture people invented for themselves. The scope of the book is huge, ranging from the cradle of civilization in Mesopotamia and Africa to the chair as modern art. I recommend it highly, both for serious collectors as well as anyone who has ever thought twice about the provenance of the place they've just sat down in. The book is copiously and beautifully illustrated, so it makes a lovely gift.



3. In this fascinating book, De Dampierre brings a fresh perspective to world history by describing it through one of the most ubiquitous items in our daily lives: chairs. In doing so, she has produced a highly enjoyable read for both the sophisticated antique collector and the general student of history.



4. A very well written book with lovely and truly beautiful illustrations. Highly recommended!



5. I have read Chairs; A History and find it to be fasinating from two view points. One is that it is more than a history of furniture, it is a social history of the people who sat in the chairs and their times and their culture. Secondly I will retain it for years as one of the most complete reference books on the cultural periods discussed. Finally it is beautifully illustrated and written and should be in everyone's library.

5 comments about American Furniture of the 18th Century: History, Technique, and Structure.

1. Good starter book for collectors and cabinet makers. Helps provide context for the how and why for 18th century American furniture.



2. This is a great book at an extraordinary price. I would prefer that more of the pictures were in color but that would have increased the price of the book, maybe, beyond what I was willing to spend. If you want to learn about 18th century furniture making, this is the best there is. Greene has a writing style that is very clear and a pleasure to read. I cant say enough about this book.



3. This is a simply fabulous book. Its split into two sections; a furniture history section and a "how-to" section, describing basic techniques. These two sections make the book a great, informative read. BUT what makes this a "must buy" are the appendices. Greene shows exploded views of virtually all the basic furniture types. While these pictures aren't project plans, they provide invaluable information about the guts of antique furniture. The other appendix I like is the one showing 18th century recipes for finishes. I tried a few and they work great.



4. Greene's book does a good job of providing a woodworker (or others interested in period pieces) with solid information on many selected pieces from the era of the title. He does a good job of selecting pieces of good taste, and gives a lot of information on various details with just the right amount of how-to. There is also a lot of historical background info for those who like to know about the history of a piece or style before they build it. The pictures and exploded drawings (showing joinery) are excellent. Though not a comprehensive encyclopedia (it's not intended to be one) it is a good read from start to finish or a good reference book. Well worth the money.



5. This book has an excellent selection of photographs of fine furniture of the 18th Century. The most notable thing about the book is that the author has exhibited fairly good taste in his selection of specimens to include, and has largely ignored the more shabby pieces of the era. This is in contrast with Nutting's "Furniture Treasury", which has truly extensive selections of photographs of all furniture of the era (good, bad, or indifferent). Greene's book also contains good historical information on the furniture trade of that era, and has an excellent bibliography of furniture books written in the 18th Century (some of which remain available).

   The author is a former mechanical engineer, who now hand crafts replica 18th Century furniture for a living.

2 comments about Heywood-Wakefield Modern Furniture.

1. This book is everything I wanted. The illustrations are bery good and informative.



2. I have just started collecting Heywood-Wakefield furniture. I began after seeing a show on Home and Garden TV Network on the reissued Heywood-Wakefield line currently being manufactured. I ordered a catalog from them, visited their web site, then started looking for dealers here in Dallas. Long story short, I found a gentleman here in Dallas who buys and sells antique Heywood-Wakefield pieces. I looked at what he had to offer, and ended up spending a small fortune on several pieces for my bedroom and living room. He swore by this book. This is the Heywood-Wakefield collector's Bible. It has a comprehensive list of nigh every piece Heywood-Wakefield made from about the '20s on. It has pictures of all the pieces, comments on the piece's designer(s), history, and most importantly, an updated (1999) pricing list. Buy this, and you and your dealers will always "be on the same page," literally, when it comes to discussing pieces. This is especially helpful to those who are buying from dealers cross-country. A definite must-have!!!

3 comments about Cowboy Style.

1. "In the typical cowboy-chic living room, overstuffed couches and deep Molesworth-inspired club chairs invite lounging while oversized upholstered ottomans offer a variation on the traditional coffee table, providing softer edges, a more casual feeling, and extra seating." ~ pg. 54
   
   Cowboy Style is filled with warm comforting styles to reflect a casual sophistication. Intricately designed armoires and Tiffany lamps are as welcome as the more organic designs made from ponderosa pine.
   
   Wood furniture shimmers in the glow of fireplaces and creative chandeliers in rooms layered in comfort. Intricately designed carpets and designer bookcases make the spaces inviting.
   
   A magical artist's studio built in Wyoming showcases a cut-metal lamp by a California craftsman, Tony Alvis. His fireplace screens are of especially high interest in this book because they are scenes of cowboys overlooking deserts and the interplay of the light behind the silhouettes makes for a fascinating magical experience.
   
   Other interesting features include the details about sheep wagons used by sheepherders in remote mountains, cozy cabins and stories about the artists featured throughout this book.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



2. I needed pictures to help me figure out how to design a Country Western style art gallery. This book had beautiful pictures, gives an overview of the history of the western culture, and provides names of companies and/or creators of furniture pieces. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the Rustic/Country Western style home; this book was absolutely wonderful!



3. I enjoyed the book, but I was a bit disappointed, since there wasn't enough technical decorating information on color schemes, regional variations in styles, etc.

   Great pictures, though.

No comments about American Furniture 2007 (American Furniture).

5 comments about Japanese Cabinetry: The Art & Craft of Tansu.

1. This is one of the very few books with an extensive collection of tansu photos. The cabinets are well categorized by their functions. Also very nice are the enlarged photos of tansu hardwares. I find the text to be somewhat poorly written and organized, and the authors' knowledge on tansu joinery/construction lacking. The hand-colored Japanese vintage photographs are also a little distracting. If you're looking for some nice tansu pictures though, this book will probably serve well.



2. I have only been selling Japanese Antiques for a short time and I found this book is fantastic to show potential tansu customers. It has also helped us (Japanache dot com dot au) with selection when on buying trips to Japan and restoration once back in Australia.
   Thanks David & Dane



3. I am biased; I am a woodworker. This is actually a terrific book offering a huge collection of beautiful photos, and an extensive commentary about the role of Tansu in Japanese lifestyle and culture. However the craft of making Tansu was not well represented. From the title I would have expected more on tools, techniques and joinery.



4. If you are fascinated by the creation of handmade Japanese cabinetry, this is one of the few books you can find on the subject because for some reason, the cabinetry of Japan is one of the least recorded aspects of Japan's woodworking history. Throughout this guide, you will find lush photographs of opaque and transparent lacquered chests, their hand-forged iron handles and the tools of the trade. I especially enjoyed the hand-colored photos of family life, rice fields and the textile sellers. Not only do you get to glimpse this magical world of Zen temples and street merchants selling sweet rice drinks, you will be able to view page after page of stunning merchant chests, bedding chests, clothing chests and mizuya-dansu (kitchen cupboards).
   
   I've always been intrigued by chests filled with magical little drawers in which anything could be stored. This book has made me aware of the wide variety of chests that can be purchased and most of the pages are filled with pictures and descriptions so you can know what to look for online. Before finding this particular book, I was at a loss for what to look for. Now I have the names of items like the sea chest (funa-dansu) and realize the difference in the woods used. I think the cho-dansu made of keyaki with the distinctive iron fittings on page 111 is just stunning. The cho-bako funa-dansu (ship chest) is also very interesting as it features tortoise, a symbol of prosperity and longevity.
   
   The detailed descriptions of the lockplates are presented with photographs. If you are a student of this craft (or looking for pictures of things like a cherry blossom motif), the pages on the components of a tansu will encourage you to explore all the essential details in your own selections. They also explain how all the L braces and iron-edge strapping are not only decorative, but highly functional.
   
   As a person who has refinished a desk upon which I am typing, my appreciation for furniture went through an entire renewal process while reading "Japanese Cabinetry."
   
   Contents:
   
   The Realm of Tansu: An Introduction
   Tansu and Allied Trades
   The Craft of Tansu
   Tansu for Mercantile Use
   Tansu for Household Use
   Tansu for Personal Use
   Living with Tansu
   Collecting and Restoring Tansu
   
   Not only does this book present early mercantile tansu designs, there are pictures of contemporary desks and even a section about books, magazines and catalogues for further research. The index, glossary of terms and chronological list of exhibitions make this book very easy to read and understand. There are also ideas for how to set up your tansu collection in your bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms and kitchen. You might even want to put a kitchen chest (mizuya) in your living room. This book also features entry tables, entertainment centers, coffee tables and bookcases and so much more.
   
   Back to dreaming of owning the cho-dansu from the late Edo period (1615-1868). Not only can you view items from this period, you can read about the history and lifestyle of the people living in this era. This book would make a perfect gift for anyone who has lived in Japan or is interested in Japanese history. It would also be an amazing gift for anyone interested in Japanese movies. I have often wondered about various items and this book has provided more information than I could have ever dreamed about finding.
   
   A note about the authors: David Jackson has been collecting tansu since 1990 and has studied sculpture and woodworking. He developed his passion for Japanese woodwork and then was involved with one of the first exhibitions of tansu in the United States. Dane Owen founded a gallery of Japanese antique furnishings and is also a frequent visitor to Japan. He can be found searching for objects for his customers and his own private collections. Together they have written the ultimate book on the Japanese craft of tansu. If you love tansu, your heart is going to beat a little faster while reading Japanese Cabinetry. I am beyond appreciative of David and Dane's knowledge of this subject. If you own one book on tansu, this would be an excellent choice.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



5. Not even sure where to begin other than to say that as mentioned above, the cover alone should be plenty to strike your interest. As a true lover and collector of Japanese art, this book goes above and beyond to show just exactly why it could be labeled as a "coffee table book". It has been on mine for weeks now. It is such a great sourcebook for Japanese cabinetry/tansu and goes even further to show pieces actually used for daily use in people's homes. The size of the book and the photography are SO worth the price. It truly is a fabulous book. I strongly recommend it. Whether you are an obsessed collector of Japanese art or not, it is definitely a great book to have in your collection.

5 comments about The Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body, and Design.

1. Purchase it believing there would be a history of the chair and its development through the ages.
   Very little on the history. The main body of the book deals with ergonomics and future design with very ametuer
   drawings.



2. This book is a really impressive interdisciplinary work, and was useful in helping me buy the "perfect" chair. (Actually one of the author's most interesting points is that a perfect posture does not exist, since movement is inherent in human bodies.) It would have been nice if the production was a little better with more sophisticated photos and colour, but the content is all there. Except that I feel the author should have made much more reference to the mind-body disciplines and meditation. For example, a key concept in meditation is that one should sit with one's back straight because the energy moves up the spine better that way. I was hoping to read something about how that relates to work and sitting in front of a workstation, as well as read about how sitting affects breathing. But other than that, a great book.



3. Galen Cranz on "The Chair"
   Reviewed by Rani Lueder, CPE
   
   This book is about seating and sitting. Having once spent my vacation scouring Europe's museums for the earliest representation of a chair (earliest I could find was 1570), I looked forward to opening its covers.
   
   Dr. Cranz teaches Environmental Design at the UC Berkeley Architecture Dept. Not surprisingly, she cuts a wide swath on seating, spanning history, sociology, industrial design, architecture, ergonomics, and holistic body/mind approaches - particularly the Alexander technique.
   
   Parts of her book are engrossing. In particular, her historical perspective of how chair design has evolved historically [if it is accurate] may be unmatched. Her discussion of the holistic aspects of posture is also interesting.
   
   That said, this book is NOT noteworthy for its review of the ergonomics research on sitting postures and seating. Much of it is plain hogwash.
   
   Throughout the book she refers to us as "ergonomicists" [should be "ergonomists"] and claims the discipline is derived from the Greek "ergon" and "omics" [should be "nomos" (laws)].
   
   It is sometimes painful to read her sweeping generalizations. Dr. Cranz writes that ergonomic researchers "have concluded that the workstation should be an indication of the worker's status" (p. 55) . . . and "status differences have to be maintained, ergonomicists say" (p. 56), citing as evidence two office planning guides written by and for architects that fail to mention ergonomics or ergonomists anywhere in the books.
   
   She misrepresents research, as when she castigates Dr. Etienne Grandjean's "poor reasoning" in Fitting the Task to the Man, writing "Amazingly, Grandjean starts with the slump as a goal" (p. 108). Drs. Grandjean et al's research actually documented computer users' self-selected postures. These researchers reported that rather than sitting upright, the computer users they observed tended to recline somewhat.
   
   She cites findings from a small laboratory study by Drs. Bendix et al. (12 subjects for 2 hours in 3 back support conditions) as proof that lumbar supports on chair backrests are unequivocally unnecessary (p. 109) - but not the many studies that contradict. Minor assertions are meticulously cited, but questionable conclusions often are not sourced.
   
   If you are looking for a thorough analysis of seated posture, this is not the book for you. It provides a unique and multidisciplinary perspective on the context of seating, but - please - take her review of the ergonomics research on sitting postures and seating design with a heavy dose of salt.
   
   Rani Lueder, CPE has consulted in occupational and product design ergonomics for over 25 years. Her activities on seating include co-organizing the Second International Conference on Sitting Posture, held in Tokyo. Her second edited book "Hard Facts" is about sitting postures and seating (Taylor & Francis). She served on the seating subcommittee for the American National Standard ANSI BSR/HFES 100. She consulted in the research and design of over 350 lines of seating. Her newest edited book is "Ergonomics for Children: Designing products & places for toddlers to teens" (2007, Taylor & Francis).



4. How many of us are aware of the furniture we use in our everyday lives? These are things we feel, touch and see everyday. Yet they are always in the back of our subconcious, we never really notice them, or realise how these pieces of furniture affect us physically, as well as psychologically.
   "The Chair" makes us look at the ordinary chair as something beyond a piece of furniture and as a symbol of wealth, status, honor, culture and comfort. In its own way, it shapes our everyday life and things related to it.
   The author traces the origins of the chair through human history and how it changed and evolved through the ages. Going deep into the issue of chair design, the author tears commonly held views about comfort into shreds and illustrates how these "comfortable" chairs actually harm the human body. After taking a good look at ergonomics, Cranz talks about the body's conciousness and how it is related to the sitting posture. With the help of somatics and the Alexander technique, she says we can improve the ways in which we sit and improve our comfort.
   What captured my attention the most was the manner in which this opens up the mind to different psychological and physical effects that a commonplace object like the chair can have on human beings and how we can improve our daily lives by thinking about these issues.



5. It is an easy reading and houmorous book. It deals with many aspects of sitting and seats, including aesthetics, style, ergonomics and as a status symbol. I beleive the knowledge presented in this book represents decades of dedicated reseach on this subject by the author. It also enlightens one to realize that a seat is one part of the story and the way one sits is the other part: To ensure the well being of a sitting human organism we have to address both parts. In summary, it is a pleasure to read this book.

5 comments about Making Antique Furniture Reproductions: Instructions and Measured Drawings for 40 Classic Projects.

1. I guess some people really like this book. Like the other book, it has an attractive cover, but inside...lacks. The drawings are hard to understand, of not the best quality and would have expected more.



2. Some of the designs in this book are projects that I definitely intend to build. However, using this book to produce the designs in it requires a good set of woodworking skills and ability to come up with the project based on a minimal presentation. The drawings are adequate, but the photos are very poor quality. Frankly I could produce a better quality presentation on an office copier. Very dated to the 70's and not a book to read just for enjoyment or to look at the pictures.



3. The book gives essential information to anyone interested in the design or construction classic American furniture.



4. I took the initiative to build the carved corner china from the plans in this book and they are excellent. When I was done with my project I wrote Mr. Gottshall with photos of my project and he wrote back immediately, as I am perhaps the only other person he knew who built this particular project.
   I telephoned him to thank him for the education I got building from his plans but alas, he had had a stroke. This was in 1978. I can be reasonably certain Frank has passed away by now, but his legacy is in his books which got better as he got older. A must for any cabintmaker.



5. I gave this book "Making Antique Furniture Reproductions" as a present to a person who is learning how to make furniture. This book was very well received and appreciated for all of its detailed information and illustrations.

4 comments about Making Furniture Masterpieces: 30 Projects with Measured Drawings.

1. This makes for nice reading, but, the drawings and directions are hard to read and understand.



2. This book has a lot of funiture plans in it but the plans are too small with some descriptions/lengths/etc being so small you needed a magnifying glass to read them. Too many details crammed into one drawing. No color pictures. I wasn't impressed.



3. As with most of Gottshall's books, the projects are not for the beginner. Good knowledge of woodworking processes are necessary to build these beautiful period pieces. The finishes advocated in the book are dated but are completely appropriate for the pieces involved. Pieces of this quality deserve finishes that are reversible by our heirs and that would exclude a lot of the modern water-based and polyurethane finishes.



4. Excellent book and a valuable reference for anyone interested in reproduction furniture. The section on finishing techniques is a bit dated, but the real value is the detailed drawings of reproduction pieces he built. Not for the beginner. The instructions are straight forward, but they require you to be comfortable with woodworking techniques. Great book.

4 comments about David Charlesworth's Furniture-Making Techniques Volume Two.

1. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. If you want to learn about Power Tools, routers, sanders - then forget this book. But if what you want to discover is how to do extremely high quality work, than this is for you. Forget the comment above about sharpening. It is one of the most important skills to master if you want to work with hand tools, and there is an appropriate focus on it in this book. But also other skills, like planing techniques, fitting drawers, shooting an edge. Many skills the average woodworker seem to be lacking, but are important for great work.
   
   It is on my top list.



2. I almost did not buy this book because of a bad reader's review. I liked the first book and decided to buy it anyhow. I am really glad I did. The chapters on making drawers is wonderful, and David follows it up with a chapter on aligning the drawers as well. Another great chapter brings you through the tapering process on curved laminated table legs.
   More advanced sharpening techniques for scraper planes were a welcome addition. I have finally got mine to work properly thanks to David's advice.
   There are many other good features in this book, and I am looking forward to volumn III and will buy it regardless of the reviews. Thanks David.



3. I bought this book thinking it would at least make reference to the title it bears. Instead it is just another approach to the already overlooked subject(in the 1st Vol.) of SHARPENING. Maybe if the books title would of been, "More demented sharpening techniques for woodworkers" I would not be so upset with it. THe book does not cover any angle of what the title suggests. The author might be a renowned woodworker but, his approach in this (and Vol. 1) is totally LAME.



4. Absolutely excellent, as is his first book. The author has a penchant for planning and careful execution that is inspiring. But, he is also very human in admitting the areas that give him trouble and suggests alternate methods for those of us who are also human and might not have the hand skills of James Krenov. He is also very honest in appraising tools by brand name and type. I have (budget allowing) followed his recommendations and been delighted with the tools he recommended. I read both of his books over and over again.