Customer Reviews

Better Electric Lamps of the 20's and 30's With Prices - Including color catalogs of Moe Bridges, Pittsburgh, Lightolier and others.

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This handsome book from L-W (173 pp, 2 pounds, on glossy stock, pictorial hardback boards issued without dustjacket) showcases lamps from the 1920's and 1930's with lovely illustrations, many of them full-page and about 70% of them in color.

Taken from the catalogues and ads of lamp companies, one finds floor lamp, table lamps, desk lamps, a few torchieres and a couple of pages of shades. The variety of shades here is delightful.

These are extraordinarily pleasing objects, both "beautiful and useful" (according to a Handel ad) which embody some of the best of maintstream pre-war 20th century design. They are objects on the edge between commerce and art -- mass-produced, yes, but exhibiting the individuality of each company and often hand-decorated, using fine or somewhat fine materials.

One can still feel the excitement that electric light afforded consumers and designers. (Gas lamps and lit lamps couldn't be designed like many of these...they'd cause fires!)

This book is also worthy because it does NOT showcase the leading edge of 20th century design. These objects aren't trying to break new ground. There's only a hint of Deco, no Machine Age, and no Moderne here. These are stunning but homey objects that sometimes have a bit of Art Nouveau in their design but more often feel like American reinventions of Victoriania. They aren't the best lamps, they're "better" lamps -- worthy of a prominent place in a middle class or upper middle class home in, say, Ohio.

If you're looking for a price guide, look stuff up on the internet. Two sorts of prices appear here -- a printout of prices as of 1997 and (more interesting) the original retail prices in the catalogues that had prices.

The following makers are featured: The Art Lamp Manufacturing Company (1920), The Edward N. Riddle Co. (1923), The Handel Co. (1919), Lightolier Co. (1923-1924), Mac Beth Evans Co. (1919), Moe Bridges Co. (1926), Pittsburgh Lamp, Brass, & Glass Co. (1922.)

Sorry, this book is very deceiving in what it is about. I do not consider a loose piece of paper, inside the cover of this book, with 1997 prices on it,to be called part of this book. The printed prices in the book are in deed from the 20's and 30's. Maybe I read more into the cover of this book then I should have. And why does L-W Book Sales stamp their hard cover books with the price in big bold numbers on the back of there books? I sell music books, and the price is on the books discreetly. If a person was sitting 20 feet from a person looking at this book, they would know how much I paid for it, in which case, this book, I would be embarrassed to let anyone know what I paid for it.