Greene & Greene Furniture: Poems of Wood & Light [Hardcover]

David Mathias (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 2010

One hundred years ago Pasadena architects Charles and Henry Greene developed a new and distinctive architectural and decorative style that blended Arts & Crafts and Asian influences with a California sensibility and obsessive attention to detail. That innovative style is instantly recognizable, even to this day.  Through sensitive application of a unique design vocabulary, they created a lasting legacy that continues to thrill the senses and stimulate the intellect of those fortunate enough to view their wonderful houses and furniture.


"David Mathias, author of this richly personal appreciation of the Greenes...comes to Greene and Greene from the perspective of an amateur woodworker with a fine aesthetic sense. Through his writing we are able to appreciate the Greenes? houses and furnishings almost as if we were hearing from one of their builders. Through stunning and perceptive new photography, the illustrated spaces and furnishings illuminate the genius of the Greenes? designs, material selection and craft, which has caused so many to celebrate and be seduced by their work...Being a woodworker, Mathias also pays due homage to John and Peter Hall, the Swedish brothers who worked closely with the Greenes on their finest houses. Mathias correctly grasps how without the Halls, the Greenes would lack a significant measure of the reputation that they enjoy today. Relatively few writers have focused exclusively on Greene and Greene, and so it is a privilege whenever a talented one such as Mr. Mathias comes along. Be forewarned that through this book his seduction may become yours, too."

Edward R. Bosley,
James N. Gamble Director
The Gamble House, Pasadena
School of Architecture, University of Southern California

Editorial Reviews

Review

The author's "craftsman" approach will appeal to woodworkers, the extensive endnotes will please scholars, and the evocative photography will satisfy all who love great design. --Style 1900 Magazine

From the Author

The Afterword from Greene & Greene Furniture: Poems of Wood & Light:

On September 15, 2009, I drove from Columbus, Ohio to Boston, Massachusetts.  On September 16 I made the return trip.  Roughly 25 hours of driving in a 36 hour period.  The reason?  The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston had granted me permission to photograph the serving table from the Freeman Ford house while it was there as part of the Gamble house centennial exhibition.  Thirteen months earlier, I had made a similarly whirlwind trip to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.  There were other, less grueling trips to Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and St. Louis.  There were three trips to California one of which included driving a circuit from Pasadena to Berkeley to Carmel and back.

I have no idea how many hours I spent driving, photographing, researching and writing.  It's probably best that way.  If I could divide any income to be derived from this venture by the number of hours invested, I would certainly be in violation of minimum wage laws.  But no one with any sense undertakes a project such as this for money.  Nor do they do it for fame.  Neither is a likely outcome.  So what causes someone to do this?  For me, and I suspect for others, the reason is quite simple: a love for the work of Charles and Henry Greene, a profound respect for their many accomplishments and a desire to share the beauty and inspiration with others.  I can't imagine any other professional circumstance for which I would drive 1550 miles in a day and a half.  The fact is, despite the long hours and bleary eyes, I loved every minute of it.

There are many ways to label the last two years, the time during which I've worked on this book.  They have been a tremendous learning experience.  To be sure, they have been a lot of hard work.  However, the way I think about these years is that they have been a genuine privilege.  It has been a privilege to meet so many wonderful people.  Without exception, every homeowner, curator, registrar, librarian and staff member has been gracious and generous.  It has been a privilege to work with my editor, David Thiel.  His enthusiasm for this book, and his willingness to compromise in pursuit of an uncompromised result, has made this process a pleasure.  It has been a privilege to share this experience with those brave enough to undertake to read this, the end result of these years.  Foremost, however, is the privilege of witnessing firsthand the incredible houses and furniture designed by Charles and Henry Greene.

Anyone who has read this far must understand that this is not a critical work.  It was never my purpose to turn an impartial eye toward Greene & Greene, to evaluate their output objectively.  I am a convert, an unabashed zealot.  Though not generally given to proselytizing, I embarked on a crusade, albeit one with a modest goal.  If a few readers gain an appreciation for the work of the Greenes through this book then the effort will have been entirely rewarding.

This process has given me a greatly increased respect for writers.  Writing is work.  Writing well is arduous.  Beginning is almost impossible.  This is not intended as complaint.  It is, however, humbling to recognize that all of the agony over how to organize the information, all of the internal debates about word choice, all of the hours spent reading and rewriting are of little consequence.  The photographs, and by extension the houses and furniture, are far more important.  To say that a photograph is worth a thousand words is to sell the photograph short.  No words can sufficiently describe the work depicted by the photos in this book.  To put it another way, it is not difficult to imagine this book with photos but no text but it is impossible to imagine it with text but no photos.  This has, of course, been a great gift.  In the end, no one will remember what's been written here.  All they will remember is the beauty and grace created by a small number of men a century ago.  And that is exactly as it should be.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Better Way Home; 1 edition (September 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440302995
• ISBN-13: 978-1440302992
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.8 x 12 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #371,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Mathias is an author and photographer with a background in computer science. He was educated at the University of Delaware (B.S.) and Washington University in St. Louis (M.S., D.Sc.). He was a college instructor for fourteen years before abandoning computer science, academia and a paycheck for the full-time pursuit of writing. David has published articles in Popular Woodworking, Woodwork, Style 1900 and American Bungalow. His first book, Greene & Greene Furniture: Poems of Wood & Light is an examination of the houses and furniture of Charles and Henry Greene.

While researching Poems of Wood & Light, David had the opportunity and privilege to visit and photograph many Greene & Greene homes including the Gamble, Blacker, Robinson, Ford and Thorsen houses and to see and photograph their furniture in museums across the United States. Nearly three years in the making, the book is the culmination of an unlikely and incredibly fortuitous sequence of events that constitute the most satisfying experience of his professional life. David's interests include photography, architecture, woodworking and hiking. He currently lives near Vevey, Switzerland with his wife Patty and sons Dylan and Zachary.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than I expected October 27, 2010

By a reader

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

When I bought this book, I expected much from it. I got what I expected, and much more. I will try to explain, in the following lines, why I believe prospective buyers should not hesitate in buying it, even if they already own one or more books on the subject.

A) Why this book?
In view of the fact that there are several excellent books available on the subject, the question is whether this one is redundant. A quote from the book gives the author's view:

'This brings us back to the question that Bill Evans asked me, "Does the world really need another Greene & Greene book?" The unspoken subtext of that question goes something like this: "There are already many excellent books on the topic. Do you have anything new to add?" I believe that the answer to that question is "yes." I submit that there is something new in these pages.

I have not tried to reinvent the wheel by writing a definitive history. Any such attempt would be doomed to failure by comparison. Makinson, Bosley and Smith have set the bar too high. Unlike the others I came to Greene & Greene through woodworking... Woodworkers, even hobbyists like me, develop an eye for details and a curiosity about how those details are implemented...

Think of this book as a guided tour through the "Greene and Greene store"... There are many photos here of exteriors or entire rooms. What makes this book different, however, is that there are also many photos that focus on details. While the best books on the topic are filled with photos of pieces of furniture, the reader is often left wanting to see more, to see close-ups of inlays, pegs and joinery, the beautiful details that define what we know as the Greene & Greene vocabulary. In those pages the reader will find those close-up shots along with discussion of the broader themes of the designs.

The topic of this book then is Greene & Greene design with a focus on the details that distinguish their work. Pegs and lifts are obvious... Of course, there is much more variety, and subtlety, to the Greene & Greene canon. We explore that here. Additionally, it is best to examine Greene & Greene pieces in context.... we can consider the recurring, unifying themes that are an important aspect of the design philosophy, one that merits closer examination.'

B) The photos:

Having read several books on Greene and Greene, I bought this one for the photos mainly. Having seen the preview in the author's site ([...]), I had very high expectations in this area, and I was not disappointed - in fact, the preview, due to the small size, can't do justice to the photos in the book. What you can see in the preview is the quality of the photos - obviously the author is a photographer of a very high caliber, and has been given the time he needed to produce excellent photos.

What you can NOT see in the preview, due to the size limitation, is the complexity and detail inherent in every picture. This is a feature of the Greene & Greene furniture and architecture, of course - apparent simplicity, underlying complexity, wealth of detail - but the photos in this book, unlike those in some others, do justice to it. These are photos you can really study, not just look at and enjoy.

Given the quality of the photos, it is very fortunate that the book is choke full of them. There is hardly a page without photos in the book, and each photo is there for a reason - they are not thrown in just to fill the pages, or just for their eye-candy value, but they also serve to illustrate specific points made in the text (text? which text? I just said I wasn't particularly interested in it, didn't I?)

C) The text:

I have always thought that writing the text for a coffee-table book is a thankless job: writing a text that will mostly be ignored, for a book which people buy for the pictures. But hey, it's OK if it helps pay the rent, isn't it?

Well, not in this case. The author didn't write the text just to accompany the pictures, or to fill the pages. He doesn't merely repeat what has been written elsewhere. He didn't feel he could write the definitive history, so he didn't attempt to write one. Sure, there is a brief section (around 18 pages, minus the pictures) on history (as it should, for completeness - this is a standalone book, not an appendix to works of other authors), but even this one is not mere repetition of what has been written elsewhere.

As I was reading the pictures (this is not a mistyping), again and again my attention would be absorbed by the text. I would read the caption of one photo, then a paragraph of the text, then the next paragraph, then I would jump back to the beginning of the chapter. And again and again, I found in the text something which I hadn't read elsewhere, insights of the author which make absolute sense. Although the author doesn't present himself as a Greene & Greene scholar, it is obvious that he has done his homework and more.

d) My verdict:
This book is obviously a labor of love. Great text, great photography, great insights, great details. If you already have other books on the subject, you 'll love this one. If it is the first one, it will be a great introduction which will probably lead you to get more.

Now the only thing we need is for Ipekjian to finally decide to start writing.

Only thing I regret about buying this book, is that I could have ordered a signed copy via the author's site.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Title says it all... September 5, 2010

By Ronald Edwards

Format:Hardcover

Yes, the title says it all... Poems in Wood and Light. David has captured the nuances of Greene and Greene furniture. He shows us, and captivates us into it's poetry. He show us how they used a stack of three hinges for a door (p111). There are many original drawings of the brothers Greene shown in full detail. His prose through out the book is insightful and easy to read. David is a woodworker in the true sense. He knows what to look for and sneaks in every crevice to show us through out this book. He makes me want to try to do the same in construction, and finish. In summation: This is a beautiful, informative, and a book anyone can enjoy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for anyone interested in Greene and Greene!!! September 12, 2010

By Joe Johnston

Format:Hardcover

While a lot of other books provide an overview, this book focuses in and highlights a lot of the details and nuances that make Greene and Greene architecture and furniture so unique. It is quite obvious that the author has done extensive research on the subject. The photography is superb and the author provides a lot of good information in the text. There are closeup photos of numerous details never before covered and also seldom seen furniture pieces. You will not be disappointed in this book!