"Duncan Phyfe (1770-1854), known during his lifetime as the "United States Rage," to this day remains America's best-known cabinetmaker. Establishing his reputation as a purveyor of luxury by designing high-quality furniture for New York's moneyed elite, Phyfe would come to count among his clients some of the nation's wealthiest and most storied families. This richly illustrated volume covers the full chronological sweep of the craftsman's distinguished career, from his earliest furniture-- which bears the influence of his 18th-century British predecessors Thomas Sheraton and Thomas Hope--to his late simplified designs in the Grecian Plain. More than sixty works by Phyfe and his workshop are highlighted, including rarely seen pieces from private collections and several newly discovered documented works. Additionally, essays by leading scholars bring to light new information on Phyfe's life, his workshop production, and his roster of illustrious patrons. What unfolds is the story of Phyfe's remarkable transformation from a young immigrant craftsman to an accomplished master cabinetmaker and an American icon."--Publisher's website.

Originally published in 1952 but enlarged and revised in 1969, this dictionary became a standard authoritative work of reference. It contains 2,612 entries and over 1,000 illustrations, reproduced from contemporary sources and from drawings by Ronald Escott, Marcelle Barton and Maureen Stafford. The work is divided into 6 sections: the first and second concern the description and design of furniture, the third contains the entries, the fourth gives a list of furniture makers in Britain and North America, section five records books and periodicals on furniture and design and the concluding section sets out in tabular form the periods with the materials used, and types of craftsmen employed from 1100 to 1950.