This desk is all solid wood. Assembly is extremely easy per any real solid wood item; the legs and body are full pieces and after eight bolts are in place, the desk is assembled. The finish is a very dark brown, almost black, and perfectly matches espresso finish furniture from manufacturers such as Ashley furniture. I own a bedroom set by Ashley and the desk perfectly matches them, right down to the nickel handle on the keyboard tray (which slides very easily). It's an excellent, attractive, functional desk that will clearly last me many years.
This item is shipped from and sold by Amazon; AAA, whoever they are, no longer are the primary seller.
As with the reviews of the other Winsome Wood desk (in honey), the packing is fairly light and frankly is not sufficient for an item of quality such as this desk. Mine arrived with only one spot of damage: the bottom of the keyboard tray had a sizable nick in it, about the size of a quarter. This was the bottom of the tray, however, and it is invisible as far as anyone is concerned; the quality of the item as a whole merits a 5-star rating.
This item has, according to camelcamelcamel, been sold by Amazon for as low as the honey version has. It's an incredible value even at the current price of $175 as it is solid wood. If you see its price drop at some point, absolutely get it.
The construction is excellent. The finish is beautiful. Assembly is easy. The only downside is shipping, and it's now sold by Amazon. If there's a problem, have them replace it. Their customer service has its own reputation and that is not on topic for this review, but rest assured: you can buy without fear.