Construction of American Furniture Treasures

Lester Margon

Reviewed by:

Charles L. Driggs

This is a little mentioned book that offers something most books on furniture do not: considerable detail in measured drawings of 38 exceptional examples of early American furniture, commentary on the steps of construction, and bills of material for most of the pieces. The author must have spent days documenting the internal construction of some of the larger / more complex pieces. I have not had the opportunity to build furniture copies from this book, but I have found that having this book at hand to study construction details has been very helpful in resolving design or repair problems. While other books devote considerable space to photographs of fine furniture, few go to the depth of detail on construction this author has presented. What this book does not have is the color photography … every illustration is either a black & white photograph or a meticulous sketch drawn by the author.

This is good book for the library of a Galoot who leans towards traditional methods of construction, particularly those of 18th and early 19th century American furniture. Availability is good at this time and price is quite reasonable, particularly for used copies.

This is a 1975 reprint of the 1949 original, with an addition by the original author.