The Shaker Legacy: Perspectives on an Enduring Furniture Style

This is a truly excellent book that should be on the shelves of all who work with wood, even those of you who, like myself, are not particularly keen on shaker furniture. The first part of the book overviews the Shakers and their attitudes to working with wood, their seeking of elegant simplistic functional beauty and their enjoyment of the process of working with wood - these are an inspiration to the modern woodworker, all of whom I suspect share the same enjoyment of the process and attention to detail, regardless of their chosen style. The Shakers themselves are quite interesting, and their attitudes of constantly improving and making work easier, more joyful and freeing time for better pursuits than toil are a mantra we all should live by, perhaps. Although the Shakers were very minimalist, I believe many other great craftsmen of the past shared their attitudes and enjoyment of the process of making furniture. The second part of the book details many fine examples of Shaker furniture. These are great items, well made, well designed, and even if the style is not your preferred one, they still may inspire you. Note that it is NOT a "how-to" book as another reviewer pointed out, although if you have some skill you could easily reproduce the items in it ? more importantly, be inspired by them. I have an extraordinary library of woodworking and furniture books covering all styles and all ages and I would definetely recommend this one as being in the top 10% - but I have to stress, it is not a how-to book, look elsewhere if you are looking for that. Finally, thanks to all the other reviewers here who convinced me to purchase it, I had seen it in the shops before but passed it over (not preferring Shaker style). I will now go tick all your reviews as being helpful. Did I mention it is absolutely full of colour photos, sidebars of interesting information and very readable and interesting?

The Shaker Legacy does several things beautifully. First there is the history of the Shakers which looks at the sect as a part of the history of our country and of the expansion of the European culture westward. Next there is the comprehension of the intense feelings which attended the creation of furnishings used by this unusual group. Further there is a delightful section which compares the influences of what we think of as Shaker Style with other spare and pristine styles from Norway to Japan and back to America. Finally there are the photos of familiar and of never before photographed pieces which bespeak the dedication of the creators. From these photos a competent woodworker could design his or her own tribute to the Shaker Legacy. Truly a pleasure to read and to return to time and time again.

"The Shaker Legacy" is must buy for lovers of the Shaker furniture style. This book has class. The cover draws your attention immediately and from the book's Table of Contents to the picture on the end page I was in awe of the format and the unbelieveable pictures. It is a book I will return to many times. Striking my attention immediately was a section on the parallels between Shaker furniture and Japanese design. As an owner of several tansu chests, I was fascinated how two cultures would come upon the very same design principles. This book is a wonderful addition to the collection on Shaker furniture and has a special place for those of us who live in Maine!

Wow! I read a review that stated, "If you never buy another book on Shaker furniture, this is the one to have on your bookshelf." I agree wholeheartedly. Not only is it full of wonderful photos of antique Shaker furniture, there's a section on modern interpretations and how Shaker furniture has influenced many styles. Best of all, this book explains the philosophy of the Shakers and their furniture and gives us the history of the Shaker movement. It's not just a "book about furniture." A well written, thoughtful, and thought provoking book.