The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director

This book changed the look of English furniture forever.

In 1754, the year of the book’s publication, England’s growing wealth gave rise to a class of rich customers of cabinet shops who wanted to emulate the look of French design, then at the peak of its influence. Chippendale, at the time a 36 year old cabinetmaker, drew up and had published 160 (expensively) engraved copper plates showing all sorts of furniture and patterns that emulated French design but added an English spin. The book set the base style for the next fifty years. 19th century furniture design evolved from these designs.

The book, a reprint of Chippendale's Third Edition, has no measurements or plans. It is simply elegant patterns (many detailed with diagrams and elevations) and pictures of Chippendale-style pieces that can be a jumping point for your own design. Some of the designs look incredibly dated; others would look surprisingly modern in the right context. For modern woodworkers, the importance of the book, even if you are uninterested in classic styles, is to give a foundation and a jumping off point for your own work.

Softcover. 9" x 12". Printed in the USA.

"Excellent if you're designing and, like me, want to get into the mindset of the 18th century artisan" -- Al Breed, Mortise & Tenon Magazine