This authoritative text explains the evolution of four centuries of American furniture from 1650 to the 21st century. It is the complete story covering the cultural and historical context of pieces and advice on how to authenticate furniture and preserve it for posterity. It is fully illustrated with over 800 photos and a 24 page color signature.

1. The Jacobean Period: Joiners and Cabinetmakers in the New World
2. William and Mary: The Years of Transition
3. Queen Anne: The Line of Beauty
4. The Chippendale Style
5. Furniture of the Federal Period
6. American Empire
7. Windsor Chairs
8. Country Furniture: New England
9. Southern Furniture
10. Furniture of Rural Pennsylvania, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Mid-West
11. Shaker Furniture: The Gift to Be Simple
Color Plate Signature
12. Victorian Furniture: Gothic and Rococo Revivals
13. Victorian Furniture: The Renaissance Revival
14. Eastlake, the Aesthetic Movement, and the Colonial Revival
15. American Mission Furniture and the Arts & Crafts Movement: 1900-1915
16. Traditional Revivals for a Conservative Public
17. Modern Furniture, 1920-1941: Is It Here to Stay?
18. America Takes the Lead: Mid-Century Modern, 1950s and 1960s
19. Post-Modern and Avant-Garde Furniture since 1975
20. Studio Furniture and Furniture as Art
21. Connoisseurship of American Furniture