American Cabinetmakers is one of the most important antiques books ever to be published. The first book to catalog and illustrate all known American wood furniture pieces that bear the signatures, labels, brands, impressions, or inkstamp marks of their makers, it is an essential volume for serious collectors, antiques dealers, auctioneers, museum personnel, researchers, and historical societies.

American Cabinetmakers contains a wealth of information that is organized alphabetically for easy reference. Each biographical entry provides information about the life and work of the craftsman, if available; defines the characteristics of his mark; and reviews the maker's products, areas where his pieces were originally sold, and the years in which he worked.

The cabinetmaker's mark took many forms: a name or initials scratched into the raw wood, a hand-stamped brand, an engraved or printed label, or a signature written in pencil, ink, paint, or chalk. Each manufacturer's mark is illustrated or represented, as are more than 400 marked pieces.

. Gerard Wertkin, director of the Museum of American Folk Art, has provided the preface to American Cabinetmakers. To complete this valuable reference, an introduction traces the development of the American furniture industry through the centuries; several appendices are included; a bibliography lists periodicals as well as books.