An engaging history of studio furniture, Speaking of Furniture: Conversations with 14 American Masters is a fresh, interesting, and in-depth examination of the modus operandi of 14 accomplished—and diverse—furniture makers. The colorful, informative study includes expository conversations with James Krenov, Wendell Castle, Jere Osgood, Judy Kensley McKie, David Ebner, Richard Scott Newman, Hank Gilpin, Alphonse Mattia, John Dunnigan, Wendy Maruyama, James Schriber, Timothy S. Philbrick, Michael Hurwitz, and Thomas Hucker. The insightful interviews illuminate how these creative and gifted craftspeople arrived professionally and what their craft means to them individually.

In his interpretive and elucidatory Foreword, Edward S. Cooke, Jr. maps out and gives the background on the parameters of the studio furniture world. Author and furniture maker Roger Holmes offers an insider’s perspective on the art and craft of producing exquisite contemporary furniture in his conversational Introduction and maintains, “Art or craft, this is very personal work.” This elegant presentation skillfully sheds light on the thought processes and techniques of a celebrated and exceptional gathering of studio furniture makers who are as unique as they are stellar. As sculptor and furniture designer Wendell Castle remarks, “What I admired was that…fine art and craft were the same thing.”

Based in East Hampton, New York, Pritam & Eames is associated with the finest work in American furniture making since 1981. As the country’s oldest established gallery connected with the American studio furniture movement, they represent a distinguished group of artist-craftspeople. Edward S. Cooke, Jr. is the Charles F. Montgomery Professor of American Decorative Arts in the Department of the History of Art at Yale University. He has served as director of the Yale Center for the Study of American Art and Material Culture since 1992 and served as the Chair of the department from 2000 to 2006. Roger Holmes, author and furniture maker, manages a workshop in Lincoln, NE, where he combines traditional handwork and contemporary technology. Author of The Woodworker’s Companion, he has been an editor for Fine Woodworking magazine and has written extensively on furniture and furniture making.