Bookcases
In the lefthand navigation bar you will find a replica of a bookcase that appeared in Gustav Stickley's monthly periodical "The Craftsman". It shares a
typical attribute of our style, namely post and plank construction. Details often found on our bookcases are inlaid stringing (above), through tenons pegged with wedges (the example above is based on an American Roycroft bookcase) or simply dowels of a contrasting wood; copper and even glass is sometimes used (an example of hearts in red glass can be seen above). The tall 
narrow bookcases of pine or timber and sheet material typically cost £250 to £300. In oak they start at £400. 
When the client can be convinced, the bookcase may even carry a motto. In this case, a motto often used on Liberty's bookcases, "Judge not a book by its cover", is suitably Shakespearean, for the bookcase was to hold the complete works of the bard in miniature. Original Arts and Crafts mottos were commonly applied, the letters stained or painted a dark colour. 
We tend to engrave the lettering and then fill it with a wood paste, which is either coloured from the natural wood (mahogany, for instance) or the colour added is a natural pigment (iron oxide for red, ochre for yellow, etc.).Despite making so many bookcases, few have been in the style we wish to continue building, although this one to the right has little square ebony pegs and a few 1900 curves that we found very satisfying. Perhaps in part this is due in part to building functional book shelving and on a large scale. Samson's Joinery began by building bookcases for archaeologists. At the very bottom right is part of what I like to think of as a whole library. Three walls of a Glasgow tenement room covered with shelves. A few days after completion, they were full of books. It isn't Arts and Crafts in style, just pine columns and shelves and tongue and groove backing. But it was done with no other power tool than a £20 electric jigsaw!
This strange image looks like it is computer generated. In fact, it is a photograph of a real bookcase. However, the lighting was so poor and I didn't like the colour of the walls, so I manipulated the image with Photoshop. I thought I would just throw that in, because I'm so chuffed with myself at having mastered the computer program. In fact, increasingly I airbrush out my customers' frivolous knick-nacks that they insist on putting ontop of my beautiful furniture. What are they thinking of?
