Dictionary of antiques

Nearly 700 illustrations (many in colour) and over 1, 500 entries present in one alphabetically arranged and carefully cross-referenced volume everything that the reader is likely to need in order to appreciate, attribute and date those specimens that come his way. Special terms, including widely-used foreign ones, are explained and there is a special section showing where American and British terminology differs. But, although practical value and ease of quick reference have been the guiding principles of its author, it offers much more than a mere compendium of facts. Mr Savage, as one reviewer commented 'has the rare gift of making even a highly technical work entertaining' and his dictionary will delight the browser as much as it will satisfy the busy, hasty enquirer. It is not only a dictionary in the sense that the word is commonly used, but a unique assemblage of profusely illustrated articles, both long and short, on almost every aspect of European and American decorative art. Those devoted to the principal styles of the past five hundred years and individual craftsmen and their work help the reader to date and attribute much of what he sees; those discussing fakes and forgeries will alert him to areas in which he could make costly mistakes. There is an extensive bibliography of books for further reading; these are arranged under subject, so that the reader can easily find sources of additional information on his speciality. An appendix of marks completes a work which must save its cost many times over for any collector or dealer.