Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s

When I first became interested - or perhaps it would be more accurate to say "re-interested" (although that is a story I will save for later) in mid-century modern interiors, I went to Amazon and searched for books on the subject. I bought three in my first batch, and this was one of them. The other two were written by British writers, and focused heavily on British and European architects and designers, especially Robin Day, who was very big across the pond, but barely made a ripple in the popular attention here in the US.

But Greenberg's book, which I didn't know at the time is a classic in the genre, was just the ticket! Packed chock full of beautiful pictures, it gives you everything you need to form a solid foundation in the history and application of the great designers of the era - Eames in particular is given his rightful due as the first among equals, although the sometimes-neglected George Nelson of Herman Miller is firmly placed high in the firmament as well, not just for his own designs (of which there are several stunning examples) but for the enormous influence he exerted on the entire movement.

Greenberg herself is a witty and thoroughgoing guide through the origins and history of the American mid-century era, tracing it from its beginnings in the International and machine-age work of giants like Mies van der Rohe, Corbusier, and Marcel Breuer, and following it to the end of the first flowering in the late 1950s. She even devotes some space to MCM kitsch, an aspect of the period I'm not particularly interested in, but an enormous number of people were at the time, and it is valuable to know at least something about that particular trend.

All in all, this book will give you more bang for your buck than any I have run across to date. If you're just getting started, or already an old hand, you'll want to add this book to your collection. And it will look great sitting on the pristine glass top of your Noguchi coffee table!