The 18th century was the golden age of English furniture-making, when scores of craftsmen turned out their masterpieces in wood, often for the Royal palaces or for the owners of the great English country houses that were then being built. Some of these craftsmen are household names- Thomas Chippendale in particular; but there were many more not so well known whose work has mercifully survived: such fine craftsmen, for instance, as William Vile and his partner John Cobb, James Moore and the Gillows. It is with both the famous and the lesser-known cabinet-makers, carvers, joiners and upholsterers that this book deals. Altogether details are given of the careers and achievements of nearly a hundred crafts-men, examples of the work of many of whom are shown in the illustrations, which have been increased in number to 232.

Ralph Edwards, until recently Keeper of the Department of Woodwork in the Victoria and Albert Museum, is the author of the completely revised edition of The Dictionary of English Furniture that appeared in 1954. Georgian Cabinet-Makers is a complementary volume to that great work.