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Unabridged Dover (1995) republication of The House Beautiful: Essays on Beds and Tables, Stools and Candlesticks, published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1881. List of Illustrations. 97 black-and-white illustrations. 1 full-color illustration by Walter Crane. 336pp. 5.375 x 8.25. Paperbound. ISBN 0-486-28586-3.
.Late in life, the 19th-century author and journalist Clarence Cook drew on his expertise in the field of art criticism to write a series of articles on home furnishings for Scribner's Monthly. These articles, assembled in book form, became The House Beautiful. First published in 1877, it was the author's most successful book, providing readers with an abundance of useful information on furnishing homes tastefully, yet affordably.
This complete and unabridged republication of Cook's profusely illustrated guidebook reveals the author's discerning eye as he leads would-be interior decorators through living room, dining room and bedroom on a delightful quest for the right “look.” Charming and lucid, the text covers everything from Italian firescreens, coffee tables, curtained archways [portières] and chests of drawers lined with fragrant sachets to Grandmother's cupboard, Tyrolean tables and chairs, a Dutch bedstead, a French washstand, Indian screens and scores of other interior accents.
Invaluable to collectors of antiques, restorationists and students of period design, this rare volume will also delight nostalgia enthusiasts, lovers of Victoriana and any reader who enjoys strong ideas and carefully formed opinions about interior design, gracefully and urbanely expressed.
Cover design by Frank J. Moore.
(The above commentary is provided by Dover Publications, Inc.)
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