Edinburgh: John W. Small, printed by Mould and Todd. 1883

Unpaginated (c. 75pp) illus with 50 b/w plates, aeg, 4to, half cloth with decorated boards. Boards are chipped around edges, Split at head of spine 3cm and rubbed at head and base of spine. Some faint foxing of end papers, else internally a good copy. This is 145 of 500 copies printed. Includes introduction and a fascinating list of subscribers. There is an extensive collection of drawings and designs showing furniture from various periods in history and of modern examples many in the aesthetic movement style. For furniture designed by Small, manufacturers or clients are noted and include Chapman & Sons furniture manufactures Newcastle and North Shields, Mathew Pollock, Beith. Interesting period item. John William Small was born in Dundee, Forfarshire, Scotland in October 1851 and was articled to an unidentified architect in Dundee. By 1870 he was working as a draughtsman in the office of Robert Rowand Anderson (1834-1921) in Edinburgh. He then worked as a senior assistant to Peddie & Kinnear in Edinburgh from c.1873 to c.1876. Small commenced independent practice as an architect in Edinburgh in 1876.In c.1885 started manufacturing furniture to his own designs at 65-67 Wallace Street, Edinburgh and later at his own workshop in Forth Street , Edinburgh. [ Factual information taken from https://artuk.org/discover/artists/small-john-william-18511911 ]