As before, it is a compact volume covering a wide range of styles over the last 400-plus years. The book has a wealth of quality color photographs, showing individual examples of furnishings and composites of period rooms. Its illustrative value is backed up with a text that supports the various periods and styles within, plus the particular pieces of popular ... Read morefurnishings. Although the book is formatted more like an academic textbook, its primary audience would appear to be anyone who is actually seeking information about historic pieces of furniture and their interior spaces. Summing Up: Recommended.
CHOICE
[Gura is] even-handed, treating each period and designer fairly. The book is mainly aimed at students of design and design history, but it will be of interest to those, like me, who visit private and publicly open properties.
Reference Reviews
This updated pictorial guide to interior design features fully revised sections and a new chapter on twentyfirst-century styles. There are 350 photographs, a bibliography, a glossary, and a chronology. Every era iscovered in a brief narrative, along with photos of prime examples (mostly individual furniture pieces) of the style. Sidebars offer information on movements, designers, and styles. Enough here has changed that libraries owning the first edition will want to consider this update. Essential for academic and special libraries serving art and design students; a nice purchase for larger libraries where there is an interest in interior design or history.
Booklist
Show Less