Student Lamps of The Victorian Era
by Richard C. Miller and John F. Solversen
Lamp trends tend to come and go. Years ago the ornate English banquet lamps were highly collected but now are a hard sell and prices and interests have very much dropped. People tend not to collect items that today are considered fussy and hard to use. Have you ever tried to read from one of these types of lamps. Can't say that about student lamps. They changed the field of lighting. Allowing a clear, unobstructed light to illuminate a desk or table. Even today I'm not surprised to see student lamps in more modern interiors, country and Victorian settings and just the average home. They are classics.
This volume showcases the cream of the cream of student lamps. Did you know that Louis Comfort Tiffany made student lamps? Not manufactured for very long but they are well represented here, as are the Harvard and Manhattan lamps. From the fancy to the plain from single lights to the rare three light units meant for libraries. This writing contains numerous pages of manufacturers and their wares, several excellent pages of the different types and colors of shades and chimneys', several line drawings showing exploded views of different types of student lamps and several pages of great history on these lamps and a brief time line of lighting. Everything in this book is easy to read and understand even for the novice. You can always tell when your dealing with passionate collectors. This does contain a "value guide" which again I would disregard BUT surprisingly some of the prices have held true for the rare examples.
This soft back edition published by Antique Publishers in 1992, has 176 pages with mostly color and some b/w illustrations and reprints of old catalogs. If you on a regular basis deal with appraising period lighting you need this book. It'll be an excellent reference book for your shelves. Only one draw back to this tidy volume. It runs pretty expensive. Online the cheapest that I could locate was for $74.00 and through my favorite book sites they soared upwards to well over $170.00! Keep an eye open on eBay too. It is worth the investment.
Remember Knowledge Is Power, So Arm Yourself
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