5 comments about Furniture: World Styles From Classical to Contemporary.

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



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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.



5. 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.

5 comments about The Encyclopedia of Furniture: Third Edition - Completely Revised.

1. If some one like antique furnitures, you got to have this book. it is very completely and tells you most the styles in the history.



2. This is a great visual encyclopedia for learning what parts of furniture and styles from different periods look like. When reading about a reproduction Greek klismos chair with sabre legs or a Louis XV commode with Sevres plaque and riband trim, there is nothing like a visual reference to understand what those words actually mean. Not a light read, but this is an important addition to the bookshelf of anyone really serious about being educated in elements of interior design.



3. The condition of the book was very good.
   The book itself was not very useful, it had a lot of information and enless you knew exactly what you were looking for it was hard to find



4. This is an encyclopedia of furniture. The information on each subject is limited. It makes a good quick reference, but didn't help me too much..



5. THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FURNITURE is more like a dictionary of design terms with pictures of specific furniture pieces. It gives a brief history of the furniture periods, but it will not aide you in learning about the characteristics of the pieces in each style. It is a good choice if you are looking for a quick reference guide with pictures and definitions.

5 comments about Kovels' Antiques & Collectibles Price List 2008: The Bestselling Price Guide in America- 40th Anniversary Edition (Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price List).

1. Thick book, good intro to antiques presenting a smattering of what's considered collectable but spreads itself too thin with some categories and is short on depth. Lots of pics but not the ones I was looking for.



2. Really enjoyed thumbing through this book. Helped answer questions I've had for years regarding potential "treasures". Easy to use with lots of pictures.



3. This is a nice reference book. Not as complete as I wished. Sometimes difficult to find specific items. However, it is solid and full of information. A nice reference to add to your collection.



4. For information on a wide variety of antiques or collectibles, it's almost as good as Warman's. But, really, I like having both books available for use. I've found, however, that if I know what I'm interested in, I'm better off spending the money and getting a book specific to that antique or collectible (if there's one available.) Nevertheless, a good reference book to get someone started in collecting. Prices listed vary greatly from what one finds on internet market; you need to be aware of this with some antiques or collectibles.



5. The Kovel's book is by far the most detailed, entertaining and informative price book I have ever owned. It helps us sellers and buyers and on line shoppers understand real-time market values. I like that it is based on ACTUAL prices. ( after all things are really only worth what someone will pay). It helped me identify things that I was unsure of with some really clear four-color photographs.
   The book is packed with TONS of pictures! It also is easy to find things and the Kovel's seem to have a knack to know how to organize such a large group of potential categories. Overall, this book was worth every penny in terms of showing me what things are worth and what they are. No other place I have found that can do both so well.

5 comments about Home Book of Picture Framing: Professional Secrets of Mounting Matting, Framing and Displaying Artworks, Photographs, Posters, Fabrics, Collectibles, Carvings and More.

1. This is a great book. I have always wanted to offer my customers top quality framed and matted photographs, but wasn't shure how to go about it. This book opened up a whole new world to me, and I bought some reasonably price tools and now I can frame and matt like a professional. This book is worth its' weight in gold.



2. Author writes from first hand experience and adds in good technical details. Good examples of using common tools and professional tools to create desired results. Many examples and pictures to show how to perform each step. Many areas of framing, matting, and hanging the art are covered. Many references to the best practices are included. Overall a very well written reference book. A great place to start, but include a lot of extra material so the intermediate framer will get a lot out of this book also.



3. This book focuses mostly on woodworking techniques and building picture frames, with a minimal amount on matting (using the Alto mat cutter), mounting, or aesthetics (choosing colors and proportions). Some modern methods of mounting (for instance, strip mounts in which no glue touches the artwork) aren't even mentioned here. This book might be useful if you want to focus on building picture frames, but for a more general introduction to the kind of framing I might do myself, including assembling frames, I found Logan's "Mat, Mount, and Frame It Yourself" more useful.



4. These questions are misleading - I ordered one book, and received and paid for two - I have sent emails complaining, and all I get back (weeks later) is this stupid email asking me to rate the book - which book? - where were you when I asked how I got two books? And how do I correct this? - but NO, instead you send me this idiotic questionaire about "the book" I received - is anybody there? Are you people there, or am I talking to a computer? You pretend to care, but it appears you are just robots - HOW DID I GET TWO BOOKS, AFTER ORDERING ONE, PAY FOR TWO and GET ZERO RESPONSE TO MY QUESTIONS?!! Your computer generated concern is phony - the books were fine, Amazon is suspect!



5. Treat this as an encyclopedia. There is a lot of good information in this book, but a lot more than you need to get going. I have only just finished wading through this thing (after six months) and would have been better off with a book 1/8 the size of this one. For a "How To" book, the author is way too verbose on his way to getting to the bottom line--if he ever does. Only because I am very good at puzzles was I able to pick out the things I really need and the best methods to complete anything - otherwise, you can get terribly confused. The author wastes a lot of time on "you could do this" and "some people do this" when the most helpful advice would be just to say, "Do this."
   
   Don't take this as too harsh an indictment of the book. Afterall, I Learned Everything I Need to Know About Picture Framing from the book. There is A LOT of stuff in it. But I could have done, and you can do, without the exhaustive descriptions of differences between various manual, as well as, power tools. It's a hobby, I expect to spend some money...just tell me what do.

5 comments about Furniture Repair & Refinishing (Ultimate Guide).

1. I thought this would be a step by step instruction book on how to fix and/or refinish furniture, but I'm having difficulties following it. I guess if you have a question in mind, you could find the answer when it comes to repairing something or refinishing something. This book is not what I expected.



2. Another fantastic book on how to repair wood furniture. I was able to correctly, and easily repair several old furniture items. Highly recommend this book for those who are involved in furniture repair, as I am.



3. After my grandmother went into a nursing home 3 years ago, I aquired the old kitchen furniture she had. Consisting of a square table (complete with a green Formica top!), 4 matching chairs and a hutch. Dating back to the late 1950's or early 60's, every piece needed some refinishing. And 2 of the 4 chairs were rather wobbly. This book addressed all of the issues I was concerned with, including clean-up, stripping the old finish, applying the new finish and repairs. When you balance the value, monetary or sentimental, of your furniture against the price of this book, it's as much of a good investment as the furniture itself.
   
   My only gripe, and it's a minor one: A lot of items like aniline stains and upholstery items for chairs are things you're not going to find at your local Home Depot or corner hardware store. It would have been nice if the author had provided a list of reliable internet and mail order suppliers.



4. Along with the other book I purchased I should now be able to restore some old pieces that I find or already have. I will be quite busy doing these repair.



5. If you only wish to buy one book on repair of old furniture, this is the book. The author is a true specialist within the field and everything is explained and illustrated excellently. In addition it's a very pretty book with many fine photos. The only little flaw is that the info on refinishing is a little scattered. Anyway, the info is there. Go buy the book!

2 comments about Furniture in History: 3000 B.C. - 2000 A.D..

1. Very helpful and well done text covering the period of study.
   pictures, drawings and details.



2. The book I ordered arrived on time, in a quickly manner. It was in excellent condition- brand new. I will use this service again.

No comments about Danish Modern.

5 comments about Chairmaking & Design.

1. This is a well written book. It does an excellent job of starting off with basic chair designs and moving on to more advanced designs. A lot of good photographs show the process of chairmaking. The gallery of chairs from other woodworkers is great - inspiring.



2. Jeff Miller starts you out with the most basic chair ever and then leads you along to more and more complicated designs step by step. By the end of the book, you feel confident in starting to build an arm chair. Great book.



3. An excellent overview of different types of chair designs and production of each. Not over the top for anyone that would like a guide to building chairs.
   
   Chad



4. Excellent and clear book with very good detail on the techniques for the more unusual shapes and angles. A good series of projects starting with basic disigns and progressing onwards.
   Chairmaking & Design



5. I looked all over the Internet for this book a while back and couldn't find it. Used sellers are charging way too much (over $100), so I finally just checked it out of the library (very available and no cost).
   
   This is a good book, and is the only one I know of with general chairmaking info that covers different chair types. The other chairmaking books I've seen seem to be specific to Windsor chairs. I would like to see more books like this ... until then get this one from the library.

3 comments about 500 Metal Vessels: Contemporary Explorations of Containment (500 Series).

1. I got this book for my husband, a blacksmith, to inspire him. Even though he may not always be creating vessels, the variety of forms, surface treatments, and overall concepts is fabulous. We both loved looking through it. We wished there was more description of process by the artists (there were quotes from them just sporadically), so that we could further investigate!



2. I love ALL of the 500 books from Lark. They are great for inspiration and for learning new artists. I have almost the whole series!



3. I really like this book, there is a lot of good work. For those of you who had a fit about the unwearable jewelry in the various 500 jewelry books: many of these vessels are non functional. So I don't want to hear your complaints like, "I don't see how anyone could use that teapot..."

3 comments about The Eames Lounge Chair: An Icon of Modern Design.

1. Recently we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Eames Lounge Chair and what better tribute to that milestone than this commemorative book. I have it and I love t. There is also a poster of the cover that you must get too.
   
   Hats off to Herman Milller for keeping the Eames style relevant and as fresh as ever!



2. A great resource for anyone that has one of these iconic chairs or is interested in its history.



3. At last a book about THAT chair. Thomas Hine, one of the contributors to this interesting book, writes a chapter about the way the chair kept popping up in all the right media and this probably helped it along to its iconic status. I was aware of the chair many years ago and kept seeing it in interior design photos, adverts, and anywhere that visually needed to project an upmarket ambience. Strangely I never saw anyone sitting in these chairs and I was surprised to find, when I bought one, that the back does not support one's head. A 1956 photo used in a Herman Miller ad shows a stockbroker friend of Charles Eames clearly with his head on the back, he was either a short guy or had moved well forward in the chair.
   
   The book is a celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the chair by five contributors with over two hundred illustrations. I thought Pat Kirkham's chapter on the chair's development the most interesting. There is a 1946 photo of a chair that is clearly a prototype for the final 1956 version. Another photo, from 1950 shows Billy Wilder sitting in this '46 version. Although Charles Eames designed the chair there was a huge technical input from Don Albinson who worked in the Eames Office.
   
   The book is a handsome production, well thought out editorially and nicely designed and printed though there is a bit of unnecessary design whimsy with the chapter titled 'The Lounge Chair: idea to icon'. It has seventy-seven pages of photos and graphics with no page numbers, the captions are on three following pages where the illustrations are repeated as thumbnails with the relevant text, in fact the seventy-seven pages had enough space for these captions. Also I would have liked to have seen a technical drawing of the chair and ottoman with dimensions.
   
   Despite a rather high list price I thought this book was a super reminder of a brilliant example of product design. The chair's status is surely growing because by 2004 over one hundred thousand had been sold and that most likely includes mine.
   
   ***FOR AN LOOK INSIDE click 'customer images' under the cover.