I loved this book. Though some of the specifics in this book aren’t up to date (written in 1984) and doesn’t even apply to the US (written in the UK), I found this book to be incredibly insightful and informative. Alan Peters apprenticed under Edward Barnsley, the son of one of the founders of the Arts & Crafts movement. He gives a concise history of the movement as it started in the rural countryside of Britain, catered to a public which could actually afford the work, and spread across the world influencing people such as Gustav Stickley who created “Mission” furniture and Carl Malmstem in Sweden who trained James Krenov. This work was as interesting for it’s historical data as it is for an aspiring woodworker such as myself. When he wrote this, Alan had 20 years behind him as a professional furniture maker and designer. He covers such topics as finance (which mainly applies to Britain), Grants and Loans (which are probably no longer in existence), Design techniques, Customer relations (how to work to commission), Batch Production, Woodworking techniques, Finishing and more.
Though some of the information is no longer accurate, I found it interesting to see what it was like 20 something years ago. He talks about how industry has negatively affected the small business furniture maker and has make it very difficult to stay afloat. That was in 1984!
Bottom line, I think this book is a must read for anyone who would ever want to own their own woodworking business. A lot of the knowledge is practical and timeless, coming from one of the worlds most successful designer-makers.
Plus, his work is beautiful, and there are a lot of photos to gawk at.
Thanks for readin!
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