I recently had a student ask me what he could read to begin preparing for his furnituremaking journey. My first thought was what a great question! I have had the fortunate experience of learning woodworking both ways — the stumbling-around-in-the-dark self-learning method, and taking classes and being mentored by those who know what they’re doing. the latter at North Bennet Street School, where I learned the traditional basics of furnituremaking —sharpening and hand tool skills. It was a humbling experience to discover which techniques and processes I had figured out correctly, and which ones I had managed to develop the most inefficient way of doing.

I consider William H. Varnum’s Arts & Crafts Design one of the seminal (and I don’t use that stuffy academic word lightly) books that every Arts and Crafts furnituremakers should have in their library. My copy is well highlighted and redlined, and I refer to it as often as I visit Bruce Hoadley’s Understanding Wood.

If you’ve ever been mystified about creativity, or wondered how you could become more creative, this is the book for you — Twyla Tharp does a great job of demystifying it. In her persuasive, down-to-earth writing style Twyla boils it down and explains what it is, and how you can evolve your own creative skills.

If you appreciate Arts & Crafts furniture, than it’s hard not to get excited about this book — The Manufacture of Arts & Crafts Furniture by Gustav Stickley written by W. Michael McCracken. Mike has written an exceptional book that provides great detail on how the late 19th/early 20th century Arts and Crafts furniture factory produced quality Arts and Crafts furniture that still exists today.