Care and repair of everyday treasures [Hardcover]

Judith Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 1997

Drawing on the time-proven methods of professionals, this step-by-step guide provides readers with simple yet professional techniques for cleaning, repairing, maintaining, and displaying cherished antiques and collectibles."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Judith Miller is a recognized authority on antiques and collectibles and has written 15 bestselling books on collecting and interior style. In Care and Repair of Everyday Treasures she shares some of her professional trade secrets for restoring and repairing furniture, upholstery, leather, rugs and carpets, stoneware, ceramics, glassware, metalware, and jewelry. Each section, such as furniture cleaning and repair or ceramic repair, includes a complete list of tools and materials needed to clean and restore the items, and there is a comprehensive resource directory to help you locate the necessary accouterments. Miller takes the mystery out of restoring your valuable collectibles, and clearly illustrates how much you can accomplish yourself with guidance and the right equipment.

From Library Journal

For collectors the dilemma of whether to do repairs on one's treasures often includes consideration of values and personal taste as well as one's ability to do the work. As viewers of the PBS series Antiques Roadshow have found out, even well-meant repairs and alterations can drastically affect values. Miller, coauthor of Miller's International Antiques Price Guide (Penguin, annual) and many other standard works, is well qualified to advise on care of personal collections. This well-illustrated guide emphasizes cleaning processes and damage repair rather than refinishing and restoration. Areas covered include furniture, textiles, ceramics, glassware, and metalware. Each chapter has a color photo of tools and materials required to do the work. This is an excellent selection for public libraries.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Readers Digest (August 25, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895779242
• ISBN-13: 978-0895779243
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,312,575 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Judith Miller began collecting in the 1960s while a student at Edinburgh University in Scotland. She has since extended and reinforced her knowledge of antiques and design through international research, becoming one of the world's leading experts in the field. In 1979 she co-founded the international bestseller Miller's Antiques Price Guide and has since written more than 100 books, which are held in high regard by collectors and dealers. Judith Miller appears regularly on TV and radio. She is an expert on the BBC's "Antiques Roadshow" and co-hosts the popular BBC TV series "The House Detectives," "ITV's "Antiques Trail," and Discovery's "It's Your Bid." She has appeared on "The Martha Stewart Show" and CNN. She is a regular lecturer and contributor to numerous newspapers and magazines, including Financial Times, BBC Homes & Antiques and House & Garden. She has lectured extensively, including at the V&A in London and the Smithsonian in Washington.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars KUDOS AND CAVEATS, October 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Care and repair of everyday treasures (Hardcover)

I bought this book when I needed information on BASIC care of my antiques of all sorts, including reviving leather on furniture and gilding on pictures, as well as polishing etc. To a small extent I got that. But most of the techniques in this book --most notably in the section on upholstery -- while clear, leave a dangerous impression of ease. For almost any of them, you need a degree of skill that would make much of the advice unnecessary. Don't try upholstering anything from this book or you'll have a dead sofa! Theory is only a small part of handcraft. Even hand's on basic courses aren't enough. incidentally, if you want to clean gilt,say, forget it, though Miller tells you how to regild. NOT a basic care manual, in fact!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fix-it book., September 14, 2009

By 

Frugal Patti - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Care and repair of everyday treasures (Hardcover)

I wish I'd had this book 40 years ago. An amazing compilation of general how-to for antiques but also every day items that need TLC. Helful hints like: don't let the dog use the antique Chinese rug for a restroom, it ruins the value! It would make a great wedding gift.

3.0 out of 5 stars Reader, beware!, February 22, 2010

By 

Chanel "Moi" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Care and repair of everyday treasures (Hardcover)

This book is an entertaining read, and it can give some rather bare instructions on how to do certain things, but there is a lot of really bad advice in here; for example, the author pushes boiled linseed oil as a great way to polish wood. A little research on the web will show you that linseed oil (boiled or not) is not only an effective way to mess up a good chunk of fine wood; it is a fabulous way to burn down your house without ever lighting a flame. Boiled linseed oil has a dreadful tendency to just suddenly burst into flame all on its own; more than one house has burned down because of this stuff. Also, the advice on polishing silver is horrible. I have studied the care of fine silver extensively, and have mastered the art of polishing and the preservation of antique silver, and I would never use any of the techniques described in this book.
If you have common sense and don't trust the author implicitly, you can learn a few things from reading this book. Not much, though; I think it can cause more problems than it can solve. When I get around to restoring the water-damaged wood veneer antique furniture I just purchased, I will use my own common sense and logic; not the advice in this book. You can do the same.