Book excerpt: Time is a valued commodity in our modern world, and everyone struggles to make the most of each minute. Russel and Mary Wright recognized decades ago that finding time to organize their lives and homes would become a priority for modern men and women. In their groundbreaking book, Guide to Easier Living, the Wrights offered simple ways to achieve a comfortable, well-designed, and organized living environment in any home for any family. Originally published in 1950, Gibbs Smith is proud to rerelease Guide to Easier Living, and to reintroduce the Wrights' time-tested and proven methods for maintaining an inviting and efficient home. From ways to make household chores as fast and painless as possible, to how to organize a room for maximum living space, the Wrights pioneered a new informal way of living for a newly suburban American public. The Wrights' ideas revolutionized American living and the way everyday people dealt with the unending job of keeping a home in order. These methods and ideas are just as relevant-if not more so-today as they were a half-century ago. Russel and Mary Wright were prominent and successful designers who pioneered the fusion of modern design and informal living. Most importantly, they were known for their tabletop designs. The Wrights' most famous tabletop design, American Modern, was the best-selling dinnerware in American history and has just been rereleased by Oneida Ltd.