The Elements of a Home

***The Elements of a Home* reveals the fascinating stories behind more than 60 everyday household objects and furnishings. **

Brimming with amusing anecdotes and absorbing trivia, this captivating collection is a treasure trove of curiosities.

**With tales from the kitchen, the bedroom, and every room in between, these pages expose how napkins got their start as lumps of dough in ancient Greece,** why forks were once seen as immoral tools of the devil, and how Plato devised one of the earliest alarm clocks using rocks and water—plus so much more.

• A charming gift for anyone who loves history, design, or décor

• Readers discover tales from every nook and cranny of a home.

• Entries feature historical details from locations all over the world, including Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa.

As a design historian and former managing editor of *Design* Sponge* , author Amy Azzarito has crafted an engaging, whimsical history of the household objects you've never thought twice about.

**The result is a fascinating book filled with tidbits from a wide range of cultures and places about the history of domestic luxury.**

• Filled with lovely illustrations by Alice Pattullo

• Perfect as a housewarming or wedding gift, or for anyone who adores interior design, trivia, history, and unique facts

• Great for those who enjoyed *The Greatest Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy* by Rick Beyer, *An Uncommon History of Common Things* by Bethanne Patrick and John Thompson, *Encyclopedia of the Exquisite: An Anecdotal History of Elegant Delights* by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins

**Some of the books included in The Elements of a Home Bibliography**

Bathtub

Dalby, Andrew. *Empire of Pleasure: Luxury and Indulgence in the Roman World.* London: Routledge, 2000.

de Bonneville, Francoise. *The Book of the Bath.* New York: Rizzoli, 1998.

Billiard Table

Baird, Sarah. *“The Life and Death of the American Pool Hall.”* Punch, January 23, 2015. Accessed July 11, 2017. \- and-death-of-the-american-pool-hall.

Levron, Jacques. *Daily Life in Versailles in the Seven-teenth and Eighteenth Centuries.* New York: The Macmillan Company, 1968.

Bookshelf

Mari, Francesca. *“Shelf Conscious.”* Paris Review, December 27, 2012. [review.org/blog/2012/12/27/shelf-cons...](http://review.org/blog/2012/12/27/shelf-conscious).

Petroski, Henry. *The Book on the Bookshelf.* New York: Vintage Books, 2000.

Candle

Bremer-David, Charissa, ed. *Paris: Life and Luxury in the Eighteenth Century.* Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Trust, 2011.

Dillon, Maureen. *Artificial Sunshine: A Social History of Domestic Lighting.* London: The National Trust, 2002.

Canopy Bed

Bard Graduate Center. *History of Design: Decorative Arts and Material Culture, 1400–2000.* New York: Bard Graduate Center, 2013.

Carlano, Anne, and Bobbie Sumberg. *Sleeping Around: The Bed from Antiquity to Now.* Seattle, WA: University of Wash-ington Press, 2006.

Chaise Longue

de Dampierre, Florence. *Chairs: A History.* New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2006.

DeJean, Joan. *The Age of Comfort: When Paris Discovered Casual and the Modern Home Began.* New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2013.

Chess Set

Brown, Nancy Marie. *Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chess-men in the World and the Woman Who Made Them.* Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, 2015.

Dean, George, with Maxine Brady. *Chess Master-pieces: One Thousand Years of Extraordinary Chess Sets.* New York: Abrams Books, 2010.

Chiavari Chair

de Dampierre, Florence. *Chairs: A History.* New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2006.

Chopsticks

Visser, Margaret. *The Rituals of Dinner: The Origins, Evolution, Eccentricities, and Meaning of Table Manners.* New York: Pen-guin Books, 1992.

Wang, Edward Q. Chopsticks: *A Culture and Culinary History.* Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Clock

Bremer-David, Charissa, ed. *Paris: Life and Luxury in the Eighteenth Century.* Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2011.

Chevallier, Bernard, and Marc Walter. *Empire Splendor: French Taste in the Age of Napoleon.* New York: The Vendome Press, 2008.

Cocktail Shaker 

Grimes, William. *Straight Up or on the Rocks: The Story of the American Cocktail.* New York: North Point Press, 2001.

Lanza, Joseph. *The Cocktail: The Influence of Spirits on* *the American Psyche.* New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995.

Crystal Chandelier

Cooke, Lawrence S. *Lighting in America: From Colonial Rushlights to Victorian Chandeliers.* Pittstown, NJ: Main Street Press, 1984.

Fioratti, Helen Costantino. *Illuminating Their World: Three Hundred Years of Light.* New York: L’Antiqu- aire and the Connoisseur, Inc., 2007.

Curule Chair 

de Dampierre, Florence. *Chairs: A History.* New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2006.

Miller, Judith. *Furniture: World Styles from Classical to Contemporary.* London: DK, 2011.

Deck Chair

Rybczynski, Witold. *Now I Sit Me Down: From Klismos to Plastic Chair: A Natural History.* New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016.

Desk

Goodman, Dena, and Kathryn Norberg. *Furnishing the Eighteenth Century: What Furniture Can Tell Us about the European and American Past.* New York: Routledge, 2011.

Dollhouse

Broomhall, Susan, Jennifer Spinks, and Allyson M. Poska. *Early Modern Women in the Low Coun-* *tries: Feminizing Sources* *and Interpretations of the* *Past.* Farnham, UK: Taylor and Francis, 2016.

Eaton, Faith. *Classic Dolls’ Houses.* London: Phoenix Illustrated, 1997.

Door, Knocker, and Knob

Berry, Nancy E. *Architec- tural Hardware: Ideas, Inspiration and Practical* ***** AdviceforAddingHandles,* ***** Hinges, Knobs and Pulls to YourHome.* Gloucester,MA: Quarry Books, 2006.

Jütte, Daniel. *The Strait Gate: Thresholds and Power in Western History.* New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2015.

Duvet

Worsley,Lucy. *IfWallsCould Talk:AnIntimateHistoryof the Home.* New York:WalkerandCo.,2012.

Wright, Lawrence. *Warm & Snug: The History of the Bed.*Stroud, UK: Sutton,2004.

Fireplace

Gowlett,J.A.J.“TheDiscov-eryofFirebyHumans:A Long and Convoluted Process.” *Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sci- ences* 371, no. 1696 (May 2016): 1697-1700.

Lind, Carla. *Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fireplaces.* San Francisco: Pomegranate, 1995.

Flokati Rug

Sebastian, Don. *The Complete* *Handbook of Flokati and Carpet Making.* Athens: Nick Kokkinos, 1978.

Floral Centerpiece

Belden,LouiseConway. *The* *Festive Tradition: Table* *Decoration and Dessertsin America, 1650–1900.* NewYork:W.W.Norton, 1983.

Berrall, Julia. *A History of* *Flower Arrangement.* Lon-don:ThamesandHudson,1953.

Fork

Heugel, Inès. *Laying the Elegant Table: China, Faience, Porcelain, Majol- ica, Glassware, Flatware, Tureens, Platters, Trays, Centerpieces, Tea Sets.* **New York: Rizzoli, 2006.

Lupton, Ellen, et al. *Feed- ing Desire: Designandthe Toolsof the Table,1500–2005.* NewYork: ** Assouline, 2006.

Front Porch

Donlon, Jocelyn Hazelwood. *Swinging in Place: Porch Life in Southern Culture.* Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2001.

Goldstein,B.Colleen. *TheEvo-* *lution and Significance of the FrontPorch in Amer- ican Culture.* Master’s dissertation, University of Georgia,1998.

Glass Window

Jütte, Daniel. *The Strait Gate:Thresholds and Power in WesternHistory.* New Haven, CT: YaleUniversity Press, 2015.

Melchoir-Bonnet, Sabine.T *he Mirror: A History.* London:Routledge,2002.

Globe

Goodman, Dena, and Kathryn Norberg. *Furnishing the Eighteenth Century: What Furniture Can Tell Us about the European and American Past.* New York: Routledge, 2011.

Jaffee, David. *A New Nation of Goods: The Material Culture of Early America.* Philadelphia, PA: Univer-sity of Pennsylvania Press,2012.

Ice Bucket

Dunne, Patrick. *The Epicu-* *rean Collector: Exploring* *the World of Culinary Antiques.* Boston: Little, Brown, 2002.

Glanville,Philippa,andHilary Young. *Elegant Eating: Four Hundred Yearsof DininginStyle.* London:V &APublications,2002.

Incense

Aftel, Mandy. Fragrant: *The SecretLifeofaScent.* NewYork:Riverhead Books, 2014.

Classen, Constance, David Howes,andAnthonySyn- nott. *Aroma: The Cultural HistoryofSmell.* NewYork:Routledge,1994.

Jewelry Box

Currie, Elizabeth. *Inside the* *Renaissance House.* Lon- don: V & A Publications, 2006.

Linley, David. *Extraordinary Furniture.* London: Mitchell Beazley, 1996.

Jib Door

Boyer, Marie-France, and François Halard. *The Private Realm of Marie Antoinette.* London: Thames & Hudson, 2008.

Donato, Giuseppe, and Monique Seefried. *The FragrantPast:PerfumesofCleopatraandJulius* *Caesar.* Atlanta,GA:EmoryUniversity Museum of Art andArchaeology,1989.

Lock and Key

Buehr,Walter. *The Story ofLocks.* New York: Scribner, 1953.

Delalex, Hélène. *A Day with Marie Antoinette.* New York: Rizzoli, 2015.

Louis XVI Chair

Condon, Dianne Russell. *Jackie’s Treasures: The Fabled Objects from the Auction of the Century.* New York: Clarkson Potter,1996.

Delalex, Hélène. *A Day with Marie Antoinette.* New York: Rizzoli, 2015.

Mattress

Beldegreen, Alecia. *The Bed*.New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1995.

Carlano, Anne, and BobbieSumberg. *Sleeping Around:* *The Bed from Antiquity to Now.* Seattle, WA: Univer- sity of Washington Press, 2006.

Mirror

DeJean, Joan. *Essence of Style:How the French Invented High Fashion.* New York:Free Press, 2014.

Johnson, Steven. *How We Got* *to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World.* London: Penguin, 2016.