Edward Bawden was one of the original official war artists during the Second World War. For five years, Bawden was prevented from continuing to work as a printmaker, designer and book illustrator. Instead, he was employed to portray the war. His tools were pencil and watercolours. His subjects were mostly people - local inhabitants in the main - Sheikhs, troops, an Emperor, and children all found their way in to his pictures; and so it was that Bawden was to develop his ability in portraiture. Where, to his delight, buildings with architectural details were to be found, then they too would became part of a new dimension in his work. In retrospect, this period was the high point of his work in watercolour; now, with the considerable assistance of the Imperial War Museum, London, this publication has enabled them to be brought together for the enjoyment of a wider public.

The nineteenth century produced dozens of independent designers, particularly towards the end of the period. As the furniture trade developed, so manufacturers and retailing split. Catalogues began to be used in retail shops as they are today. Competition between retailers and the use of the new design books resulted in a large number of designs, not only new ones but also a constant looking backwards to earlier centuries for inspiration. This change in the structure of the industry made full use of highly individual interpretations of Gothic, Renaissance, Elizabethan, Naturalistic styles, Egyptian, Old French, Louis XIV, Louis XV and Italian decorations, all applied to a wide variety of furniture. The complexity of the subject is best explained by a very large number of illustrations and this is the reason why some 6,000 appear within this book. The Dictionary is made up from forty-nine contemporary design and pattern books issued by manufacturers such as Heal s, Smith, Tatham, King, Pugin, M