1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Flights of Fancy, October 2, 2009
By E. Amos (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Birdcage Book: Antique Birdcages for Contemporary Collector (Hardcover)
Description: The hard cover version of the book measures 7 1/4" across by 9 1/4" tall and contains 95 pages. Here is the description from the dust jacket:

For millennia, birdcages have been prized for their decorative appeal. In countries as diverse as China, England, Holland, and Mexico, the birdcage has been ornamented in remarkable ways, evolving from a mere enclosure for birds, into an essential home furnishing.

Today, the passion for birdcages continues unabated, and collectors amass them by the dozen, to create memorable interior vignettes. The Birdcage Book culls international designs from every significant design era... including twentieth-century reproductions of enduring styles... and presents them in one lavish portfolio.

Author Leslie Garisto, herself an inveterate collector, lovingly describes a wide variety of birdcage styles, blending charming historical anecdotes with serious advice about collecting. More than 75 photographs attest to the extraordinary range of styles, and interviews throughout with antique dealers and collectors evoke the passion for collecting.

The first chapter, "Rustics," explores the beauty of simply designed birdcages made from humble materials. Rough-hewn bentwood, wickerwork, unadorned wire, and unpainted wood are among the basic materials that lend these cages their charm and make them look right at home in country-style interiors. Information on where to find rustic cages (whether you fancy a wood-and-wire cage from Mexico or a bamboo design from the Philippines) complements suggestions for "how to decorate" with them.

Designs in which function and beauty merge with a minimum of fuss and fancy characterize "Classics," Chapter Two. From square and squat to slender and domed, classic cages follow principles of clean-lined design.

An emblem of the builder's art in miniature, architectural cages have a special place within the house, echoing the lines and embellishment of a room or providing a startling counterpoint. A chapter entitled "Architecturals" explores the many manisfestations of this style. Cages depicted here recall different building eras ---from grand neoclassic archways to Edwardian country homes to simple cottages recalling the Carpenter Gothic style.

The chapter "Flights of Fancy" presents cages distinguished by ornamental extravagance. Exaggerated and fanciful shapes as well as oversize and miniature designs are featured. Bamboo smokestacks, Ferris wheels, and other amusing details - even a cage created from a converted television set - are all stunning manifestations of the cage maker's art.

In recent decades, the birdcage has reflected the explosion of new materials as well as design trends. Chapter Five, "The Twentieth Century," discusses and depicts classic plastic cages, deco modernes, and other decidedly modern designs. This chapter also displays the work of contemporary designers, including Eric Lansdown - whose cages are equipped with mansard roofs, Gothic windows, and trompe l'oeil painted effects of ivy and crumbling bricks - and Belmont Freeman, who creates cages of lacquer-lined brass and black nylon cable based on engineering principles.

"A Note to COllectors" contains caveats and general advice about purchasing originals versus reproductions, determining authenticity, and arriving at a fair price, and a "Sources" section puts the reader in touch with purveyors of antique, new, and reproduction cages as well as individual craftspeople and design firms who create the designs. The only comprehensive source for cage collectors and fanciers, The Birdcage Book is a visual feast filled with design flights of fancy.

IMO, a very helpful book; since so little has been written on the subject.