For many people contentment and fulfillment are found through the skill of their own hands. The 29 craftspeople featured in this book have given up weekly paychecks, pensions, and security for freedom to create their own dreams. The result is beautiful furniture, each piece the unique product of the furniture maker's creativity and skill. Heavily illustrated with beautiful color photographs, this new book explores the lives and work of some of the most distinguished American furniture makers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Beginning with Wharton Esherick, James Krenov, Sam Maloof, and George Nakashima, who serve as the first generation of modern creators of craft furniture, it continues with 25 contemporary furniture makers who carry on the tradition today. A biography of each is given along with examples of their work. Today's hectic lifestyles and the increasing intrusion of technology are made bearable for many by the handcrafted furniture that provides balance and harmony in their homes. It offers meaning and comfort through the designs born out of the maker's heart, head, and hands. This book will delight and inspire designers, collectors, and anyone who loves handcrafted furniture.[AuthorName]Dennis Blankemeyer[/AuthorName][AuthorBio]Dennis Blankemeyer with his wife, Denise, own American Furnishings Co. in Columbus, Ohio, a retail store and design studio specializing in the education and promotion of contemporary American craft. The Blankemeyer's design work has received notable acclaim through awards, books, and magazines.[/AuthorBio][NumIllustration]283 color photos[/NumIllustration][CoAuthor][/CoAuthor][SubTitle]The Legacy of the Human Hand[/SubTitle][ColorPattern]283 color photos[/ColorPattern]