Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Essential and much needed, this encyclopedia meets its goal of providing a source that combines the disparate elements of interior design into one comprehensive reference work. Two main categories of entries are included: individual entries covering architects, critics, designers, and patrons; and topical entries describing room types, decoration, and types of furniture. Longer survey articles relating to individual countries, periods, and styles are also included. The work is limited in focus to 19th- and 20th-century American and European secular design. Each entry includes a signed critical essay, a list of collections where representative examples of the works can be viewed, cross-references, and a bibliography of major writings. The impressive list of contributors consists of professors, curators, and professionals working in interior design. Excellent black-and-white illustrations. Enthusiastically recommended for all undergraduate library collections. M. Fusich; California State University, Fresno

Booklist Review

The stated purpose of this new encyclopedia is to describe and analyze a wide range of subjects and individuals involved in the history of interiors. The alphabetically arranged entries fall into two broad categories: individuals, which includes architects, critics, painters, designers, makers, and patrons; and topics, such as room types, movements, countries, schools, and particular items of furniture. The articles on countries, periods, and styles, such as Russia, Renaissance, and Regency Style, are more in-depth. In her preface, the editor explains some of the criteria for deciding what subjects to cover. In order to keep the project manageable, ecclesiastical interiors are excluded. For individuals, preference was given to those who were consistently involved in interior design in the course of their careers and who had a lasting impact. Because of the nature of the existing documentation, the bias is toward upper-middle-class and aristocratic interiors. Finally, the set focuses on Europe and North America, although other parts of the world, such as China and Japan, are covered in survey articles. An important strength of this work is the articles on the history and function of common rooms, such as bedrooms, parlors, and offices, and of common furniture, such as coffee tables and three-piece suites. Other entries range across a variety of topics and individuals, including the arts and crafts movement, the Gobelins Tapestry workshops, Thomas Jefferson, Parish-Hadley Associates, picture frames, Thomas Sheraton, and tiles. Each entry is a critical essay and varies in length from several paragraphs to several pages. Each entry also concludes with a further reading list, and for individuals, a short, summary biography, and selected works with dates. Some of the titles cited in the further reading lists are quite current; for example, the bibliography in the entry on Charles Rennie Macintosh includes the companion volume to the Macintosh retrospective that toured the U.S. earlier this year. All entries are signed. The list of entries for both volumes in the front of each volume is a wonderful aid for ready reference as well as for researchers and students. A full alphabetical list of subjects and individuals mentioned appears in the index at the end of volume 2. In addition, there is information on the advisers and contributors, most of whom are affiliated with universities or major museums. The black-and-white photographs are instructive, if not very interesting. This project is unique and new; until now, existing literature consisted of dictionaries of individuals or objects and technical manuals. A must purchase for large public and academic libraries.