The book contains some 475 black and white and 56 colour photographs, accompanied by detailed and informative captions. The illustration of so many fine pieces, as well as unusual items, superbly photographed, would in itself have earned this book a place on the shelves of anyone seriously interested in the subject.

But there is an added bonus. A firm like Norman Adams prospers by the skill of the selection in buying - a 'good eye' - and it is this essential facility, succinctly expressed in the captions to the pieces in this book, which will ensure its lasting reputation as an important work of reference.

The Dictionary is made up from forty-nine contemporary design and pattern books issued by manufacturers such as Heal s, Smith, Tatham, King, Pugin, Morris and Liberty s. Each piece of furniture has been sorted into its physical characteristics (e.g. table with three legs) so that it is only necessary to glance down the list of contents to identify into which category any particular piece belongs. Within each category the pieces are arranged in chronological order so that the evolution of each type is clearly seen. This Pictorial Dictionary, the first major study on the wide range of furniture produced in the nineteenth century, is the standard work of reference on the subject.

The Arts and Crafts Movement, admired internationally, permanently changed the way designers think about furniture. This is a record of its output. Each section of this comprehensive book details furniture of the architects and designers involved. Many of the pictures, mainly from a useful list of pioneering specialist dealers, have never been published before.

All the main protagonists of the Movement are covered. Unique illustrations show examples of museum quality, the typical production of the Guilds, the Cotswold School, the Glasgow designers, Heal, Liberty and the major commercial companies including Gordon Russell. The principal American followers of the Movement are included.

Late Eighteenth & Early Nineteenth Century Textiles presents a selection of pieces chosen for their beauty, their elegance and their relevance to the history of textile design. The focus is on furnishing textiles that illustrate the tremendous shift in taste from the restrained Neo-Classical style of the late 18th century to the imperialistic, utterly luxurious fashions of the Napoleonic era and beyond.

Along with its companion volume by the same publisher, Twentieth Century Textiles, this landmark publication offers an extraordinary opportunity to appreciate the evolution of textile design and technique across almost 200 years through a stunning selection of pieces rarely on public view.

The catalogues of the Paris Salons at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century provide a unique archive of illustrations of the decorative arts at a pivotal time in their development, the five previous volumes covering Jewellery, Furniture, Ceramics and Glass, and Objets d'Art.

This volume is probably the most important in the series. Because of wear and tear, practically none of the approximate 1,200 textile and leatherware pieces illustrated have survived outside museum collections or appeared at auction, unlike the items covered by the earlier volumes.

This book, with over 400 colour and almost 100 black and white illustrations, is the result of years of research. It is the first published history of the tools and accessories used by needlewomen in Holland, from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, describing how they were used and also who would have used them. Many of these tools were beautifully made by craftsmen from precious metals, treasured by their owners and handed down through generations. Others were very simply crafted out of wood, individually carved and decorated by the artisan.

Thimble collectors will be delighted with the abundance of illustrations of thimbles, from those simply made of brass, to gold ones decorated with gemstones. Collectors of other sewing tools will welcome the inclusion of chapters on sewing sets, chatelaines, scissors, needle cases, pin-cushions, tape measures, thread holders and winders, tambour tools and knitting accessories. The final chapter is particularly useful for collectors, as it contains a unique list of the makers of Dutch silver and gold needlework tools, with drawings of their marks to aid identification.

The book starts with the heavy silver needlework tools of the seventeenth century which are related to the raised and padded embroidery of that era now known as stumpwork. The more delicate embroidery tools of the Georgian era are grouped together with fine embroideries. Illustrations of Georgian sewing boxes and sewing sets show the wonderful varieties available to collectors.

Palais Royal sewing boxes and their superb mother-of-pearl contents, considered by collectors to be the ultimate sewing box, are illustrated as are the glorious carved ivory needlework tools that originated from the Dieppe region of France. The Victorian lady chose her sewing box, work table or sewing set from the extensive range available of which illustrated examples include tortoiseshell, papier mâché, Tunbridge ware and Mauchline ware. This was also the era of the sewing circle and hand-made needlework tools were created in abundant numbers, many surviving for today's collectors' market.

This book complements Embroideries and Patterns of Nineteenth Century Vienna, Serena's first publication concerning the Nowotny Collection. It also surveys samplers, motifs and decorative patterns, but focuses solely on animal patterns.

The embroideries are perfectly reproduced in 208 flawless colour photographs; 41 technical drawings are included in the text. Practical advice is offered which allows any keen embroidery enthusiast to reproduce some of the more spectacular designs.

Embroideries and Patterns from 19th Century Vienna is the first book devoted entirely to the petit-point of nineteenth century Vienna. Raffaella Serena surveys samplers motifs and decorative patterns such as garlands, flowers, animals and landscapes.

The most significant patterns of the Nowotny collections are integrated with other examples drawn from different sources in order to a give a more rounded and complete historical and stylistic account of the period under consideration.

English Furniture describes the development of fashionable English furniture between the restoration of Charles II in 1660 and the death of Queen Anne in 1714. Based largely on contemporary documents and on original and firmly documented furniture, together with the latest modern scholarship, it provides a closely-reasoned analysis of changing furniture styles, together with much technical information on materials and processes.

The author's radical new approach to the stylistic and structural analysis of furniture will change perceptions of English furniture and establish a new chronology for late seventeenth and early eighteenth century English furniture. This extensively illustrated book is the first comprehensive review of the subject for nearly one hundred years.

Part one focuses on Charles II and James II, 1660-1688 with chapters on The Restoration, Case Furniture, Seat Furniture, Tables, Stands and Mirrors and Lacquer, japanning and varnish. The second part focuses on William III and Queen Anne, 1689-1714 and includes chapters on Furnishing the Williamite Court, Case Furniture, Seat Furniture, Tables, Stands and Looking Glasses. A full glossary of terms is inlcuded as well as a list of manuscript sources and a bibliography.