English Furniture Styles From 1500 to 1830, Ralph Fastnedge, Pelican 1955 1st Ed.

A concise historical survey of the evolution of English Furniture with 64 pages of plates and over 100 line drawings.

This is a comprehensive, compact, and authoritative historical survey of the evolution of English furniture. In recent years interest in its makers has been growing. Legends have been dispelled, and new facts and material correlated so that our knowledge of the history of furniture design is now very much more exact. Chip-pendale, Hepplewhite, and Sheraton, for example, are seen no longer as fabulous, isolated figures, but in true perspective; and their famous pattern books (the Director, the Guide, and the Drawing Book), which have been known to collectors for many years, have been studied very closely. Quotations from old memoirs, diaries, and letters, which are often entertaining and very illuminating, help to re-create the social conditions under which the designers and makers were working. The book has several useful appendices, including glossaries of makers, woods, and specialized terms, and is illustrated by over 100 line drawings and 64 pages of plates.

PELICAN BOOKS

A 309

ENGLISH FURNITURE STYLES

RALPH FASTNEDGE

Ralph Fastnedge was born in London in April, 1913, and was educated at University College School, at Oxford University, and the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. He served with R.A.F. Bomber Command during the war, flying, usually by daylight, over nearer Germany and the occupied countries. He was awarded the D.F.C. in the summer of 1941, and subsequently served as a staff officer and as an instructor of aircrews. Later, he was for two years Curator of the Holburne of Menstrie Museum of Art, at Bath. He now holds the post of Deputy Director and Keeper at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.