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Home & Interior Design books:
Interior Design and Decoration

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Addressing interior design and decoration from the ancients to the moderns, this text describes the dominant influences of fashion design and focuses on the close relationship between interior design and the architecture of our times.

With the Sixth Edition of Interior Design and Decoration, Stanley Abercrombie continues the revival of this time-tested and well-respected text—first published in 1937—to make it meet the needs of today’s teachers and students. In his second revision of Sherrill Whiton’s classic text, Abercrombie presents the full history of interior design—during all periods and throughout all regions—in a manner that facilitates easy comparisons among different times, places, and styles.

Encyclopedia-like reference book of design styles -
This is the only textbook used for the two History of Design courses at my school. I've found the book to be useful and informative, although not especially innovative or inspiring.

The contents are divided into 7 main sections, each with 2 to 5 chapters: The Ancient World (Egypt, the Near East), The Classical World (Greece, Rome), The Middle Ages (Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, Islamic), The East (India, China, Japan), The Renaissance (Italy, Spain, France, England, Africa), The New World (Pre-Columnibian and Early America), and The Modern World (19th Century, 20th Century). Each chapter runs from 20-30 pages and is similarly formatted, starting with a timeline and going into the Geography and Natural Resources, the Religion, and the Political and Military Factors of the period. While this provides a context for the design innovations of each period, it also gives the book a rather characterless "voice" akin to the essays one might find in an encyclopedia.

Overall, the photos featured are very good; some, like the detail of a Neoclassical English ceiling, are amazingly beautiful. I also appreciated the sidebar information, "Tool and Techniques" that serves to explain and illustrate such topics as "Curtains and Drapery" (detailing the differences between Plain Shirring, Open Rings, French Heading, and Box Pleating, for instance). Other "Tools and Techniques" topics include Stained Glass, Frescos, and the Science of Color.

One of the things I found puzzling is not unique to this book, but involves the way things are classified in a general sense. The classifications of the sections will be familiar to most readers; many American readers will have learned history in exactly the way presented in the book--starting with the "Ancient" and moving through the "Classical" to the "Middle Ages" and "Renaissance," and so on. What I find curious about this is the rather rigid format of these categories, with poor Egypt forever sentenced to Antiquity, as if there have been no design innovations there in a few thousand years. Discussion of Italian design is relegated the Classical and Renaissance periods, again, as if that design-rich country hasn't made exciting contributions in the last 50 years. I understand that the authors were obligated to find some way to simplify and organize a vast quantity of data; the solution they chose is just a very antiquated type of categorization.

A more inexcusable problem is the lack of copyediting; there are some unfortunate typos that amount to misinformation, i.e. the definitions of yin and yang are reversed on page 211 in the Chinese section; elsewhere, the definition of rail and stile are confounded, and there are similar grave typos elsewhere.

Whatever its faults, the book is packed with information, photos, illustrations, and even quotes from famous designers. The simple, straight-forward discussions on the different styles allowed me to finally understand the difference between Louis XIV and Louis XVI, Art Deco and Art Nouveau, as well as Chinese and Japanese design prinicples, thus earning its keep on my design bookshelf as a reference book of styles.

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Classic Prinicples -
This book is a must for anyone wishing to understand classic prinicples of design. It gives details unavailable in many standard works. I had an earlier edition while in university and when I lost it after a move, was delighted to be able to find another copy of this valuable resource. It was like Christmas to have it once again in my possession.

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! -
As an instructor of Interior Design, I cannot praise this book enough....My students as well as fellow instructors find it an invaluable tool, not only in teaching beginning level courses, but also as a great reference manual after the student graduates....Several of us still have well-worn copies in our offices...Buy this book, you won't be dissapointed!

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Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! -
As an instructor of Interior Design, I cannot praise this book enough....My students as well as fellow instructors find it an invaluable tool, not only in teaching beginning level courses, but also as a great reference manual after the student graduates....Several of us still have well-worn copies in our offices...Buy this book, you won't be dissapointed!