Customer Reviews

Modern Cabinet Work: A Comprehensive Treatise on Making Fine Furniture from the Golden Age of Craftsmanship

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I disagree with the prior rating of what is the most highly acclaimed woodworker's manual of the last century. Modern Cabinetwork: Furniture and Fitments was published in six editions from 1910 to 1952. Percy A. Wells (1867-1956), was the head of the cabinet department at Shoreditch Technical Institution in London. John Hooper was a recipient of the Order of the British Empire and an honors silver medalist at the City and Guilds of London Institute.

When the London publisher, New York-based John Lane Company, introduced this book to an American audience in 1910, its appearance received only a brief notice in an issue of the New York Times: "The same house is bringing out a volume by Percy A. Wells and John Hooper on "Modern Cabinetwork Furniture and Fitments". This book includes 1,000 diagrams and measured drawing of all kinds of tables, and miscellaneous furniture, carved and veneer work, etc." However, soon the 1915 Books on the Manual Arts described the Wells and Hooper manual as the "best and most comprehensive book on cabinetmaking". Over the various editions, changes were made to reflect advances in the trade. For instance, the chapter on machines in the 1938 edition has been omitted and replaced by one on Plywood and Lamin Boards. Modern machines are so intricate and varied in type that it was eliminated.

This is a wonderful book, full of technical details and historical insight. It is not a "how-to" book for weekend woodworkers. It does use some stilted language of an earlier time and tends to be dry. That said it is a must, in my opinion, for anyone who has a desire for a handbook that contains more than 2,000 line drawings and hundreds of photographs that explain virtually every useful hand and machine technique and furniture design detail suitable for the small-shop woodworker. You can even download a free copy of the 1922 edition online via the "Internet Archive." A classic for free--what else can you ask for?

This read pretty much like a text book and it probably should have as I understand that was pretty much how it was used when it was first in print.
If you already own the Tage Frid series don't waste your time and if you don't own the Tage Frid series...shame on you!
There are just so may books that fall into this category a person can start being more critical. I got somewhat "suckered" into this purchase as both Lee Valley and Highland Hardware had some nice romantic text describing this book.