The Victoriana Collector's Handbook

London: George Bell and Sons. Very Good/Very Good. 1970. Hard Cover. 8vo 0713518103 Dust jacket price clipped. Brown cloth with bright titling on spine. No ownership marks. Numerous illustrations and photographs. 239 pages clean and tight.About thirty years ago, nobody wanted furniture or other objects of the Regency period. They compared unfavourably with the productions of the eighteenth century and seemed to mark a growing decadence; but they are now so scarce as to be beyond the resources of most collectors. Much the same thing has begun to happen with Victoriana, despite the fact that the decadence is often not merely growing but fully manifest. However, with Victoriana, such large quantities are still available at reasonable prices that the knowledgeable collector may pick and choose only what is worthy and attractive; but there are already unmistakable signs that these favourable conditions will not continue indefinitely. It is to help the far-sighted amateur to profit from existing circumstances while there is yet time that Mr. Woodhouse has written this book, which has been conceived on the assumption that the majority of readers consulting it will not possess expert knowledge. The coverage is so generous that all readers, including those with a limited budget, will find some field of interest. The chapter headings are as follows: I. Collecting Victoriana, II. Artists, Craftsmen, Designers and Firms, III. Arts and ("rafts, IV. Ceramics, V. Furniture and Furnishings, VI. Glassware, VII. Jewellery, VIII. Metalware and Ornamental Metalwork, IX. Miscellaneous. These are followed by a comprehensive Index for quick and easy reference. Chapter II, which lists artists, craftsmen, designers and firms, will be found of particular service in the task of identification, and is especially valuable in connection with ceramics, as this is a field in which forgeries and re- productions have already begun to r appear. With this exception, however, the collector of Victoriana may generally comfort himself with the knowledge that most items are what they appear to be. .