A Field Guide to Identifying Woods in American Antiques & Collectibles

R. Bruce Hoadley is widely considered to be the authority on wood and wood technology. Author of two highly acclaimed books on understanding and identifying wood, Hoadley has had a lifelong passion for antiques, and he now turns his attention to explaining how to identify the woods used in antiques and collectibles.

An introductory chapter outlines the woods covered, followed by a chapter about wood in general, which will focus on the anatomical features and physical properties used for identification. Chapter 3 discusses the simple tools needed--a light, a sharp knife or razor blade, and a hand lens--as well as techniques to start out with and ways to deal with the many special problem situations.

The main part of the book is a discussion of 37 woods commonly found in American antiques. Hoadley chose these 37 woods based on the species he has encountered in museums, collections, shops, auctions, garage sales, etc. Each wood is first described in terms of its physical properties and pertinent visible anatomical features and characteristics. A macroscopic view (equivalent to 10x hand-lens resolution) of a cross-sectional surface is used to explain critical features used in identification. Related to each wood, two or more objects (both antiques and collectibles) will be shown by an overall photograph, then by close-up and/or hand-lens views to illustrate application of the features that confirm identification of the wood.