From pharaonic Egypt to late-Victorian England, the story of civilisation can be traced in its chairs, tables, and cabinets. Furniture is memory made solid. The details still astonish. Frederick Litchfield, one of the most respected authorities on European decorative arts furniture, offers a complete history of furniture that remains a touchstone for antique furniture collectors, scholars, and designers. Moving from Renaissance to modern furniture, he explains how households were furnished, how tastes shifted, and how craftsmen translated social change into wood, fabric, and gilding. Styles of European furniture unfold clearly: the grace of Louis XV, the discipline of Georgian and Regency pieces, the bold lines of Victorian and Georgian furniture, and the iconic chippendale and hepplewhite styles that still guide a reference for interior designers today. Richly informed by period examples, Litchfield's illustrated furniture history book doubles as an antique furniture reference guide and an elegant introduction to the history of household furniture for any curious reader. First published at the height of the late nineteenth-century passion for collecting, Litchfield's survey became a foundation stone of furniture history, and Frederick Litchfield furniture history remains a byword for connoisseurship. Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful modern edition, this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today - a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike.