Furniture by Design: Lessons in Craftmanship from a Master Woodworker

Unlike a lot of woodworking and furniture design books, Graham Blackburn does not just lay out the plans and dimensions and list the materials and tell you what to do. Instead, he discusses, in a very literate way, the basic tenets of design and furniture making, and writes with respect for the reader's ability to understand and succeed in designing his or her own furniture. He encourages the would-be furniture designer to work with materials at hand, not just the finest (and most exhorbitantly expensive) hardwoods, and treats furniture design and construction not as a goal, but as a process, using one's brains and one's hands to create one's own singular and pleasing furniture. An unusual approach and a very satisfying read.