The Encyclopedia of Furniture: Third Edition - Completely Revised

Everything you want to know for information on antique items is in this book. Great information.

Great book excellent seller. Thank you

This book is just what I was looking for: Illustrated descriptions of styles and terms used for furniture. If you want to know what terms like "cabriole" mean (for which you really need illustrations), this is probably the right book for you. I say "probably" because The Encyclopedia of Furniture was originally published in 1938 and the current edition was revised almost 50 years ago. Given that most of the material is historical, that's not as bad as it soundsThe Encyclopedia of Furniture would benefit greatly from the better editorial and production values that computerized compilation methods have made possible. (Unfortunately, most publishers--reflecting the ownership of many by huge multinational media corporations--are more interested in how fast they can publish than whether the material is comprehensive or even factually correct.)Following are examples of the kinds of problems that could be eliminated with some editorial direction and modern production techniques (which will also give you an idea of what's covered by The Encyclopedia of Furniture):--The criteria for deciding what or who deserves an entry aren't clear. For example, an entry appears for William Morris but none for Breuer or Thonet. And does James Gillingham (an 18th century Phila. furniture maker whose name isn't identified with a chair or any other piece of furniture) warrant more space than either of these?--It appears that only photographic plates are numbered, but line drawings don't always appear adjacent to the text they illustrate. Because there are 1800+ illustrations, this can create confusion. For example, to what do the unlabeled line drawings numbered a-e at the top of col. 1, p. 389 refer (none of the text appearing on pages 388-389 appears to reference these).--The illustrations don't always appear with the most appropriate entry. For example, there's no illustration for KNEEHOLE but illustrations of kneehole desks appear under both DESK and ENGLAND.--The means of illustration are also sometimes inappropriate. PERIOD FURNITURE (p. 336) is illustrated by a hand-drawn timeline whereas it should have been typeset---or perhaps the timeline (which certainly deserves space in this encyclopedia) belongs someplace else.--In some places (e.g., the heavily illustrated ENGLAND section) the illustrations sometimes don't even fit the printed page (they just kind of slide off the end).--INTAGLIO (p. 262) references illustration 32, which is a Queen Anne armchair. Does this mean that the three-toed DRAKE FOOT of the chair leg is an example of intaglio? The entry is vague, and so is the illustration.--Running heads and folios are essential but are sometimes missing just where they are needed most (e.g., the lengthy ENGLAND section).This great reference is most deserving of an extensive, up-to-date revision.

Aronson's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FURNITURE is a must have if you do not know every detail of every style in every period of furniture development. It defines terms and shows sketches and photos of many of them. It has good summaries of each term. Organized by terms and presented in alphabetical order, if you don't find the information under one term, it will send you to the term where you can find information instead. Used in my History of Furniture class, I highly recommend it paired with Crochet's DESIGNER'S GUIDE TO FURNITURE STYLES, 2nd Edition. Together, you will have everything you need to know about the history of furniture.

the cover is different on my book, but its the same book. this is a very detailed book that has just thousands of wonderful black and white pictures of many, many types of furniture! and even a few sketches. it even has a section with pictures of different "cuts" of wood making different grains. a must have book if you are even slightly interested in the style and design of furniture!

An alphabetized brief description of all things furniture from 15th Century to the '50's. Bare bones info. Only good for a quick reference guide. Not particularly enlightening. Very complete.

I cannot stress enough how fabulous this book is - it really is Must-Have Resource book for ALL Design Libraries. Having studied the applied arts/ craft arts & design this book is a great reference guide and something I use to check on original & replica styles from furniture suppliers, especially for historical aspects to help further inform clients on their choices/ placement & ultimately purchases. If you love furniture, design or are in both - then this is a great addition to your resources.