Book excerpt: Originally published in 1964, The Englishman’s Chair is a history of English chairs, written as a continuous story from the 15th to the 20th Century and because of the revealing powers inherent in chair-making and design, it is also an unconventional footnote to English social history. The changes in taste, and fashion, the increase of skill, the introduction of new materials and the long battle between dignity and comfort are discussed, as is the impact that modern industrial designers have had on chair design.