When Oak Was New

Informed by John Fiske's extensive experience as a dealer in English oak furniture, 'When Oak Was New' provides an in-depth guided tour of familiar and lesser-known forms for both the novice and experienced collector. 'When Oak Was New' invites readers to look at antique furniture in a new way. In telling the story of English furniture from 1530 to 1700, Fiske blends witty accounts of daily life in Tudor and Stuart England with extensive photographs and close descriptions of the furniture that made those lifestyles convenient and comfortable. He shows that we cannot fully understand the furniture that we know as antique without understanding how its owners used it when it was new, and how a piece of furniture, in turn, captures its historical moment. Over 750 photographs vividly illustrate the boundless creativity of countless anonymous joiners and carvers whose work was central to the development of modern life.