'There is a need for a volume like this one, and I have no doubt that it will become a standard and popular text very rapidly. Clive Edwards is a perfect person to produce this volume. I know of no one in Britain better suited for this task.' Paul Greenhalgh, Head of Research, Victoria & Albert Museum An essential work of reference for furniture historians and anyone interested in the fine and decorative arts, the Encyclopedia of Furniture Materials, Trades and Techniques is the first comprehensive account of both historical and modern furniture manufacture. In more than 1700 entries, Clive Edwards brings together information on a wide range of topics, among them, Applied Decoration, Carving, Chair-making, Embroidery, Finishing, Glass, Lacquer, Leather, Paper, Plastics, Timbers, Tools, Trades, Stone, Upholstery, Wicker and Zips. In-depth coverage includes developments in Britain and America, from the Renaissance to the present day. The increasingly international nature of the furniture industry extends this account to include the origin of materials and processes throughout the world. Contemporary descriptions, accounts and inventories provide fascinating context. This highly readable volume offers invaluable insights into the social status of furniture, the economic history of the industry, and the lives of the craftsmen and craftswomen working within it. Many entries are cross-referenced to related topics and include major bibliographical references. The entries are supported by 150 black-and-white illustrations and 24 colour plates. After a successful business career in furniture and interior design, Clive Edwards changed direction and joined the Victoria and Albert Museum/Royal College of Art MA Course in the History of Design. He subsequently received a PhD based on research into the nineteenth-century furniture industry and its technology. Since then he has been a lecturer in Critical and Historical Studies in Art and Design at Loughborough University. He has published widely on many aspects of interior design and furniture history. His own books include Eighteenth-century Furniture, Victorian Furniture, and Twentieth-century Furniture for the series 'Studies in Design and Material Culture'. He was also a contributor to The Encyclopedia of Interior Design, and The Conservation of Furniture and Related Wooden Objects.