2 comments about The Best of Painted Furniture.

1. it's one of my favorite books, it gives me so much inspiration! it's the best book on painted furniture available now.



2. Florence de Dampierre's The Best of Painted Furniture is a "must have" source book for any decorative paint artist. It is filled with gorgeous photographs of exquisite furniture displayed both alone or "in situ". Each chapter focuses on a different region of Europe, as well as America, with an emphasis on the changing of painting styles from a fascinating historical perspective. It is an inspirational idea book, and is invaluable when trying to capture the feel of a certain era. Famous decorative paint artists from each coutry are discussed and featured, and the evolution of certain styles of painting, for instance chinoiserie, are examined. It is a painstakingly researched book, and the ideas from the past four centuries unfold in a unique and creative way. The author shows how the painted furniture styles of past centuries blend into modern settings, and also examines painted metal and papier-mache furniture, as well as the care of painted furniture, in general. Creative inspiration and practical advice and a healthy serving of decorative painting history gives this book 5 stars, in my opinion. Enjoy!

1 comments about Furniture Treasury (2 Volumes in 1).

1. 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.

1 comments about Chairs A-Z (TASCHEN Icons Series).

1. A sweet little chair book I bought from the Tate Modern and really enjoyed it. Most of the chairs from known architects... A book for your office table.

5 comments about The Shaker Legacy: Perspectives on an Enduring Furniture Style.

1. This is a truly excellent book that should be on the shelves of all who work with wood, even those of you who, like myself, are not particularly keen on shaker furniture.
   
   The first part of the book overviews the Shakers and their attitudes to working with wood, their seeking of elegant simplistic functional beauty and their enjoyment of the process of working with wood - these are an inspiration to the modern woodworker, all of whom I suspect share the same enjoyment of the process and attention to detail, regardless of their chosen style. The Shakers themselves are quite interesting, and their attitudes of constantly improving and making work easier, more joyful and freeing time for better pursuits than toil are a mantra we all should live by, perhaps. Although the Shakers were very minimalist, I believe many other great craftsmen of the past shared their attitudes and enjoyment of the process of making furniture.
   
   The second part of the book details many fine examples of Shaker furniture. These are great items, well made, well designed, and even if the style is not your preferred one, they still may inspire you.
   
   Note that it is NOT a "how-to" book as another reviewer pointed out, although if you have some skill you could easily reproduce the items in it ? more importantly, be inspired by them.
   
   I have an extraordinary library of woodworking and furniture books covering all styles and all ages and I would definetely recommend this one as being in the top 10% - but I have to stress, it is not a how-to book, look elsewhere if you are looking for that.
   
   Finally, thanks to all the other reviewers here who convinced me to purchase it, I had seen it in the shops before but passed it over (not preferring Shaker style). I will now go tick all your reviews as being helpful.
   
   Did I mention it is absolutely full of colour photos, sidebars of interesting information and very readable and interesting?



2. This book is an interesting and pleasant blending of American history, philosophy, furniture design, and woodworking.
   I have read/studied several other books concerning Shaker furniture. This hardcover printing of Mr. Becksvoort's book has, by far, the finest and clearest photography and printing.



3. I have many books, new and old, on various styles of furniture, their designers, and construction techniques. This was a great addition to my library. I have learned much from it. I appreciate the detail the author went to in this work. It is not your typical lightweight coffee table book, but shows an understanding of, and respect for, the various Shaker communities and their many contributions to our way of life, not the least of which is their beautiful furniture.



4. Aways had an interest in making Shaker Furniture;and it's origin .Found this Book very formative and informational;enjoyed.



5. " author Christian Becksvoort, a contributing editor of Fine Woodworking magazine and an experienced custom furniture maker and restorer who's worked for the last remaining Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake, Maine, examines the Shakers' faith in relation to their furniture." ~Amazon review
   This attractive volume does not attempt to give directions on how to build Shaker style furniture. What it does do, and does it very well, is to describe the philosophy of the Shakers in relation to their work. The book has as its focus the Shaker's most visible and well-known product - their furniture. Each piece in the book was carefully examined by Mr. Becksvoort and photographed by Mr. Sheldon. Some pieces are not available to the public. Construction, finish, and accurate description of each piece distinguish this work. Mr. Becksvoort knows what he is looking at, he has had the privilege of restoring and closely examining the furniture of the Sabbathday Lake, Maine, Shaker Village. What he does not do is tell you how to build each piece. But if you are a clever and intelligent woodworker, perhaps you will be inspired to design your own project with an eye to the timeless design of the Shakers. Take the challenge, inspire yourself!

5 comments about Furniture Facelifts: A Step-By-Step Guide.

1. Amateur, cheap looking finishes. I was looking help with finishes that look like they came from Habersham or other great furniture makers.



2. This book is not for the person who wants to do huge amounts of serious woodworking, and you need to come to it with an imagination. What it does is effectively tell you how to do a hundred or so styles and techniques. You can't replicate everything that's in here, but it's simply incredible to go through when you have a beat up old piece of furniture, and are open to thoughtful, imaginative refinishing.



3. I bought this, and both my wife and I went through it, and we both agreed that it was a worthless book. I can't believe it was ever published. I have returned it and will never buy another book by this author. Sorry to be so negative, but this book truly is worthless.



4. This is preciesly the book I was looking for! Has copious details about re-finishing all kinds of furniture surfaces, from bare wood to laminate to steel, plus how to get a wide variety of effects. This book has a higher level of detail than many other faux finishes books (which often skip over how to prep the surface or how to deal w/any surface other than bare wood).



5. I stumbled upon this gem of a book while on a recent day trip to Northampton, MA. Since its discovery I cannot put it down and have begun some of the projects in it. This book is a packed full of helpful ideas and the book's standout feature is that step-by-step guides serve to help the novice in creating a replica of the pictures that exist in the book. Wagstaff & Thurgood's book is softcovered vinyl. Should paint get on it it is easily wiped clean. For certain, I will be purchasing 2-3 copies for friends and relatives as Christmas presents!!!

5 comments about Antiques of the Future.

1. This book was beautifully photographed, but only one item per page. I was looking for more items, especially items that didn't originally cost a fortune.



2. This is the perfect gift for someone who appreciates great design in everyday objects. Who would have thought these items would become collectable! Lisa Roberts obviously recognized something special before any of us did and I surely hope there is a second book in the works. I have really enjoyed sharing my Antiques of the Future with friends and family.



3. It's a really pretty book. That's all I have to say.



4. A Christmas gift for my mother. She is enjoying it immensely. She said it is very informative, entertaining, and well written.



5. This book has very little information. I expected more products to be reviewed.

2 comments about Late 19th Century Furniture by Berkey & Gay (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. B&G went out of business in 1948 so stock is worthless except for maybe collectible value



2. we found stock cert. dated 1946 with berkey and gay furniyure co. wondering if there is any value to these? Where are they now?

3 comments about World of Fluorescent Minerals.

1. I have both of Stuart Schneider's books and think they are wonderful. I collected fluorescent rocks all over Europe for many years, and now I am doing the same here in the Southwest USA. Stuart is an honest man and he knows a great deal about the subject. It is difficult to get the printed colors in the book to match the beauty one sees in reality, but he comes closer than anyone else. His books are required as part of any good book collection about fluorescence.



2. Stuart Schneider's THE WORLD OF FLUORESCENT MINERALS provides a lovely, color photo laden guide of different fluorescent minerals found around the world and displayed in both daylight and ultraviolet light. Nearly a thousand color photos pack descriptions which include both geological information and facts and a price guide of values. It's unusual to find a collector's guide to minerals let alone the rarer fluorescent minerals, making this a valuable reference.



3. This book is a beauty! The photographs are first rate and the text is interesting and informative, while not overly technical. There are 997 color photographs showing the minerals in daylight and under the UV lamp. This should have been a hardcover book.

No comments about Framing the Nineteenth Century.

1 comments about Gold Leaf Application and Antique Restoration (Schiffer Book for Woodworkers).

1. Waste of money...
   This book is good only for school projects and absolutely not useful for artists, restorers or woodworkers.
   Very amateur...Featuring stone age techniques, which can only discourage the follower.
   Don't give any choice of supplies, don't warn about possible mistakes an failures during the process and do not say how to avoid or fix those mistakes.
   Anyway... Following this book amateur will only get frustrated:
   Spend a fortune for supplies and sabotage there treasures...
   Professionals or semi-professionals - simply don't need it...
   Businesses which selling supplies and gold leaf offer a seminars and comprehensive guides "how to" for gold leafing. Much more useful...
   About restoration - still searching for good info...