This shorter edition of The Dictionary of English Furniture has been prepared by Mr. Ralph Edwards from the sumptuous three-volume folio edition. The Dictionary, originally published between 1924 and 1927, was compiled and largely written by Mr. Edwards and the late Percy Macquoid, and at once took its place as the outstanding authority on the evolution of English domestic furniture from the Middle Ages to the end of the Georgian Period. The second edition, published in 1954, was almost entirely the work of Mr. Edwards, and all the major articles were revised and expanded. It is certain that the new Shorter Dictionary of English Furniture, prepared by Mr. Edwards with the assistance of Mr. Edward Joy, will place this great work within the reach of a far wider public. All important historical and literary references have been retained and if the text has been condensed, it has also been substantially revised in light of modern knowledge and a quantity of new material added. For convenience of reference, cabinet-makers and other craftsmen are now grouped together at the end of the book, instead of being dispersed as formerly throughout the text. Although it has always been termed a Dictionary, it is in reality a great deal more. The object of its authors, from the inception of the work, has been not merely to provide a reference to pieces of furniture, technical processes, furniture designers, cabinet-makers and so on, but to give the reader an insight into the history of English domestic furniture and its place in changing social habits. The number of illustrations has perforce been reduced, but even so there are approximately 1900 in this volume. Some examples have been substituted as being finer or more representative. The text has been re-set and in every way this Shorter Dictionary is a worthy successor to the original great work.