On the Bookshelf: Furniture Bible

Calling a book a BIBLE is a big deal. In my experience, most publishers are fairly cautious about throwing out comparisons of literal biblical proportions. It creates a sense of expectations that you want to be careful a book can meet. If ever a title deserved the bible moniker, it’s certainly this one.

It’s written by Christophe Pourny, whose parents owned a antiques store in France that specialized in supplying rustic, Provençal furniture to Parisians looking to furnish their country homes. After obtaining a history degree, he apprenticed with his Uncle Pierre Madel who ran an eponymous antiques gallery in Paris. (Credentials, check!) The gallery had a lot of American clients and so Christophe found himself in New York.

There’s a lot in this book - explanation of different furniture styles and wood types. But the meat of the book is on how to care and refinish furniture. I’m not sure that I’ve come across another book in recent memory that goes into such great depth. You really can’t find these how-to’s elsewhere. There are detailed instructions on how to ebonize, how to repair veneer, and how to french polish. There are tips on how to fix loose drawers and stuck drawers and what kind of tools to buy.

If you love antique furniture, you need this book in your library.