The furniture designs of William Morris, C. R. Ashbee and Charles Rennie Mackintosh are even more popular today than in their own lifetimes. The work of other figures, such as William Burges and Christopher Dresser is also being avidly collected.

Jeremy Cooper’s survey contains an astonishing range of photographs and drawings: nearly 700 illustrations offer a uniquely comprehensive coverage of nineteenth-century furniture. Every major designer is represented, and the choice of pictures includes little-known pieces from private collections. Rare contemporary photographs of Victorian and Edwardian interiors show how the furniture formed part of complete decorative ensembles.

Extensive commentaries on the illustrations and detailed text provide the essential background - wherever possible using the actual words of the designers, architects and critics themselves.