Fake, Fraud, or Genuine?: Identifying Authentic American Antique Furniture

After we moved into our house (and jad no furniture to speak of) I decided to take the time to buy antiques and find really cool "stuff". This became quite a fun adventure and boy have I learned a lot. This book was one ofthe first that I picked up because I was noticing so much reproduction furniture in the seemingly antiques stores. After awhile you can just look at something and see if its reproduction or not but this book really helped me in fguring that out - fron talking about different types of wood that were popular in different eras, to what to look for in joints/workmanship, to identifying original upholstry, and I could go on and on. This is just an incredible resource and the pictures/drawings that are throughout are fantastic. It's like sitting on the shoulder of an antiquing guru as you walk through a shop and they are able to go right to the key indicators to see if its original or not. The writing style os fun and easy to read too. Excellent book.

I was given this book when I first became interested in antique furniture around 5 years ago. I am an antique dealer and avid collector now, and I still use it frequently as a reference. Although it focuses on 18th c. American furniture, the concepts apply to all periods and types.This is a great book! I highly recommend it to all collectors.

Long overdue, this book provides the reader with the skills needed to correctly date American furniture. Numerous clear, closeup photos help the reader to understand exactly what to look for when examining antique furniture.

This book was long overdue when it was published and is just as essential an addition to the furniture connoisseurs library toady. Read about some of the great capers of the century and how you can detect what went undetected for decades. What you learn here can be applied to furniture from other countries as well. An interesting line about Israel Sack's start in the business (albeit innocent I must say to be fair) should be incentive enough to buy this helpful book.