Hidden Treasures: Searching for Masterpieces of American Furniture - Hardcover

Freund, Joan Barzilay; Keno, Leigh; Keno, Leslie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0446526924 ISBN 13: 9780446526920

Publisher: Warner Books, 2000

Synopsis

The two "Antiques Road Show" experts share their inside track on the popular show, American antiques, and their most interesting discoveries in the least expected places, in an account that also features photographs of priceless antiques.

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Reviews

In Hidden Treasures: Searching for Masterpieces of American Furniture, brothers Leigh Keno and Leslie Keno of PBS's Antiques Roadshow tell how they grew into the antiques experts they are today Leigh at Christie's and now in his own business, and Leslie at Sotheby's. While relating how they have discovered, acquired and sold important pieces, they teach how to tell the good from the bad and recall the spectacular finds that add excitement to their work. Fans of the PBS series and collectors and lovers of fine furniture will all enjoy their efforts. An extensive glossary helps with terms, the bibliography supplies sources for further research and the four-color photos add to the enjoyment. 14-city author tour.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The twin experts Leigh and Leslie Keno, who used to be affiliated with the PBS-TV show Antiques Roadshow, display their knowledge of Americana in a series of 13 charming stories. But the 13 pieces are all woven together into a single narrative, with descriptions of furniture worth six figures mixed with background on the Kenos and their family, and naturally a few celebrity names pop up here and there. It's obvious that the thrill of the hunt can leave them verbally breathless, whether on Sotheby's floor, where a Rhode Island Appleton secretary is hammered down at $8.2 million, or the discovery of a two-piece highboy among the middle class in the Hamptons excites them to no end. Some of the lessons learned here include not cleaning, waxing, or polishing an old piece of furniture; sleepers--what undervalued merchandise is called--are difficult to find; and anything can be collectible. Glossary and bibliography appended. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

The great popularity of PBS's Antiques Roadshow, along with the heightened attention to auctions and exhibitions of American decorative arts, prove that interest in collecting antiques is expanding. Is there anyone who does not secretly hope that the old family table, the slightly sloping bookcase, or the creaky rocking chair may turn out to be a a special object worthy of veneration and perhaps a tidy sum of money? Experts seen on the PBS show and with credentials from service at Sotheby's and Christies's, respectively, the authors are twins, identical not only in appearance but also in the passion with which they approach their vocation. In a series of search-and-discover episodes, the reader is taken along on adventures with Leigh and Leslie, whether it be as young boys roaming the woods of upstate New York for old barn hardware or as elegant participants in six-figure auction sales. The authors' enthusiasm comes across in every paragraph, and the reader is swept along in the marvels of finding, researching, and finally selling outstanding examples of American furniture. The book also covers the false and the fake and the resulting disappointment. Not every attic holds a treasure, but this book certainly doesDit is not only a delight to read but a fine example of painstaking research, intuitive perception, and total commitment. Highly recommended for public collections as well as art and historical libraries.DPaula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Warner Books
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0446526924
• ISBN 13: 9780446526920
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304