Books by Christopher Dresser

Christopher Dresser (1834-1904) was arguably the first British industrial designer, working in a variety of media, and this 1862 work was his most influential book. Highly illustrated, it describes how to incorporate ornament into design, and encouraged the rising middle classes to decorate their homes themselves.

The author of this work, an architect and ornamentalist by profession with a solid knowledge of manufacturing, went to Japan after the Meiji Restoration to observe what an ordinary traveller would not notice. The result is an absorbing and informative work on all aspects of building and the decorative arts for which we shall be always in his debt. From temples to carpentry tools, from candlesticks to theatre design, all are displayed and described here.