Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #170501 in Books
• Published on: 1999-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 220 pages

Synopsis
Written by dealers for their customers, this title is filled with information and advice on what to look for when buying early oak furniture and how to look after it in the home.

Customer Reviews

An Essential Guide to Early English Oak Furniture
In `Living with Early Oak' John Fiske and Lisa Freeman share the vast amount of knowledge and experience which they have gained as specialist dealers in early oak furniture and related objects.

All of the main types of oak furniture and objects that the collector or dealer is likely to encounter are covered. Construction methods and stylistic treatments are discussed, together with guidelines to dating individual pieces. The typical repairs and restoration to be found on each class of object are detailed, together with a discussion of the effect on desirability and value.

Exceptional pieces are highlighted and contrasted with lesser pieces to inform and educate the reader. There are separate chapters on restoration, later `improvements', composite pieces, a guide to assessing desirability and a useful bibliography.

If there were one criticism of this volume it would be the absence of colour images as the all-important aspects of `colour' and `patination' are difficult to appreciate in black-and-white photographs. However since these concepts can really only be grasped by looking at and handling objects this is only a minor fault.

Overall `Living with Early Oak' contains a wealth of information that could otherwise only be gained through many years of dealing or collecting in this field. It represents a very readable, practical and accessible book and is likely to appeal to both novice and experienced collectors and dealers alike. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in this field.