By Martin Eidelberg, Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, Nancy A. McClelland, Lars Rachen. Vendome Press, $75

Covering not just lighting but also dead flowers and zoological photographs, glassmaking tools and original documents, <i>The Lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany</i> is the first book in several years dedicated exclusively to Tiffany. Four scholars elucidate the luminary’s personal studies in lighting, explain the significance of nature in his eyes, and provide a detailed account of what went on in his workshop (perhaps the first book to examine the techniques behind the lamps).
In addition to the well researched text, the book includes a beautiful four-color catalog of rare and newly photographed lamps divided into five categories: Trees and Shrubs, Vines, Flowers, Wetlands and Fauna. Each entry explores the cultural and stylistic influences, techniques, colorways and intended uses for the shade and lamp. This superb book is not only nutrition for the Tiffany flock but also a conversion text for even the most devout modernist. (via Elements of Living)