History of Interior Design and Furniture: From Ancient Egypt to Nineteenth-Century Europe (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The Nile River was the life-giving geographic feature that allowed ancient Egypt to attain its height of artistic development in the dynastic periods from around..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book is thoroughly researched, well-reasoned, and well-written volume..." (The American Reference Books Annual, March 2007) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Description

Robbie Blakemore leads us on a breathtaking journey through five millennia of interior space. This book presents a comprehensive survey of the major historical periods of architectural and decorative styles and offers the reader a unique approach to the history of interior space, architectural details, and furniture.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; illustrated edition edition (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471286761
• ISBN-13: 978-0471286769
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #409,200 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Underwhelming and overpriced, February 1, 2002

By	Mark Pirolo (Winston-Salem, NC United States) - See all my reviews

The text of this volume is decent and well organized but in the area that most designers are interested in, visual examples, it is sorely lacking. A very minimal section of color photographs (which jump from Roman to the Renaissance. No sign of the Gothic)and a series of low contrast black and white ones are augmented with a series of uninspired drawings. All of this might still be helpful and useful were it not for the price. There are many volumes on furniture and decor that have come on the market recently which are superior in their content and priced more reasonably.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better for furniture/antiques dealers than designers, March 26, 2001

By	Michael S. Cole (Kansas City) - See all my reviews

This book is a good encyclopedia of the history of interior design going back to ancient era- it catalogues the general overview for each period chronologically, explaining the function and materiality of a space or piece of furniture. The book is particularly nice for classifying particular styles of furniture and may be more suited to an antiques dealer or furniture dealer than a professional interior designer. The major problem i have with the book is that most if not all of the photographs are black and white, and it completely skips the modern era of design, pretty much ending with the turn of the 19th century. No mention of my favorites like Mies van der Rohe or Mr. Wright. This absence somehow makes this book seem incomplete.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Book -Dont miss it, June 10, 2003

By A Customer

This is an outstanding book, with plenty of pictures - great insider material on furniture and architecture. And I already have a design MA with my own firm.