Shaker Inspiration –Christian Becksvoort
The Shaker Inspiration by Christian Becksvoort is another excellent publication by Lost Art Press . The book has great style and is very readable even in some of the dryer parts. The book itself is great albeit with a North American focus. Then again it's about the inspiration of the Shakers. The link in the previous sentence is to an article about the last active Shaker community in the United States. They are all celibate which is self limiting. The Shakers were or still are a religious sect who are probably best known for their furniture making simple elegant and functional. The book itself has lots of stuff about timbers and timber movement. Differences between hardwoods and softwoods and so on. Then delves into the hows and whys of furniture construction. There are lots of great photos throughout which add to the excellent text. Timbers are for the most part not easily accessible in Australia. The book is rounded off with some measured drawings which would be a great help for anyone who is inspired to build one of the projects. The Shaker style is appealing for its simplicity . Shaker Inspiration does highlight some great problem solving and innovation in this type and style of furniture. I was disappointed that Lost Art Press don't ship to Australia. I was prepared to pre order the book and PDF. Alas I have had to settle for the PDF version only. International buyers are directed to local businesses. There was no option to preorder or even by the book. That's my only whinge.