THE CABINET-MAKER'S GUIDE: OR RULES AND INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ART OF VARNISHING, DYING, STAINING, JAPANNING, POLISHING, LACKERING AND BEAUTIFYING WOOD, IVORY, TORTOISE-SHELL AND METAL. WITH OBSERVATIONS ON THEIR MANAGEMENT AND APPLICATION

Greenfield, Ma, 1825.. 108pp. Publisher's advertisements on rear board. 16mo. Original printed paper-covered boards. Moderate staining to boards, minor chipping to spine ends, minor edge wear. Moderate scattered foxing. Very good, and wholly unsophisticated. Untrimmed. The first American printing of the first American furniture finisher's manual, reprinted from the original British edition by G.A. Siddons. "A new edition, with considerable additions. Including an appendix containing several valuable tables." Clear and concise instructions are given for dying and staining woods, making glue, making and applying varnish, polishing, japanning, cleaning woods and metals, and much more. For example, to make furniture oil "Take linseed oil, put it in a glazed pipkin, with as much alkanet root as it will cover; let it boil gently, and you will find it become of a strong red color: let it cool, and it will be fit for use." Six tables in the appendix provide assistance for figuring lengths and weights, and an index follows.

Western Massachusetts was obviously a place of great architectural and design innovation during the American Federal period as both the present title and Asher Benjamin's landmark architecture book, THE COUNTRY BUILDER'S ASSISTANT..., were printed in Greenfield. Not in AMERICAN IMPRINTS. Highly desirable and a landmark in American crafts. RINK 1793.