{"product_id":"virtuoso","title":"Virtuoso: The Tool Cabinet and Workbench of Henry O. Studley","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eby Donald C. Williams, photographs by Narayan Nayar\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou can download an excerpt from this book \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/blog.lostartpress.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/virtuoso_excerpt_.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/10\/virtuoso_excerpt.pdf\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the space of just 10” x 39” x 19-1\/2”, H.O. Studley managed to arrange – with perfection – more than 250 of his tools into a dovetailed mahogany cabinet that has captivated tens of thousands of woodworkers since it was first unveiled in 1988 on the back cover of \u003ci\u003eFine Woodworking\u003c\/i\u003e with a single shocking photograph.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter a brief stay at the Smithsonian, the cabinet was sold to a private collector and hasn’t been seen by the public for well over a decade. Studley’s workbench has never been on public view.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDonald Williams and a team of supporting characters spent four years researching, documenting and photographing both the cabinet and Studley’s equally amazing workbench to create “Virtuoso: The Tool Cabinet and Workbench of Henry O. Studley.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is the first in-depth examination of one of the most beautiful woodworking tool chests ever constructed and presents the first-ever biography of Studley (1838-1925), a piano and organ builder in Quincy, Massachusetts. In this book, Williams uses original research to answer the questions that flash through the minds of everyone who views the cabinet:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow did he build it?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow does it work?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd why would anyone construct such a monument to his tools?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this book, you will find measurements, details and photographs of all the tools in the cabinet. Every swinging frame, hinged panel and nook of this three-dimensional, multi-layered sculpture has been analyzed so you can understand how it folds in on itself like a giant piece of mahogany origami.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou will meet the man himself, H.O. Studley, and get a glimpse into the trade of high-end organ and piano makers in 19th- and 20th-century New England.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut most of all, you will see the cabinet in a way that only a handful of privileged people ever have. And you will realize that the magazine photograph that electrified the woodworking world in 1988 only scratches the surface of the cabinet’s complete magnificence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Virtuoso” is produced and printed in the U.S. The interior paper is an #80 coated matte paper. The signatures are sewn, affixed with a cloth tape and glued to the cover boards to create a strong hinge. The cloth-covered boards are wrapped in a #100 super-matte dust jacket. 216 pages.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA companion documentary on the tool cabinet is available in our store \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/lostartpress.live\/products\/dvd-virtuoso-the-tool-cabinet-workbench-of-h-o-studley\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContents\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSomething Clicked\u003c\/em\u003e vii\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1: The Adventure Begins 3\u003cbr\u003e2: A Visual Pilgrimage 11\u003cbr\u003e3: Henry O. Studley, Enigmatic Genius 17\u003cbr\u003e4: The Caretakers 39\u003cbr\u003e5: The Tool Cabinet and Its Contents 51\u003cbr\u003e6: Artistic Flourishes 145\u003cbr\u003e7: The Workbench 153\u003cbr\u003e8: Studley Consciousness in Woodworking's Popular Culture 183\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eConclusion\u003c\/em\u003e 193\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eImage Credits\u003c\/em\u003e 199\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eIndex\u003c\/em\u003e 201\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0306\/3197\/files\/don_l1010023_large.jpg?v=1487342536\" width=\"330\" height=\"220\"\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/donsbarn.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDon Williams\u003c\/a\u003e is a conservator, educator, scholar and all-around inquisitive guy, having worked on some of the most interesting objects and historic buildings in our nation’s public and private collections. He has developed, managed and presented educational programming on an array of subjects in the fields of conservation, woodworking and wood finishing, and has published and presented scholarly research on subjects like ancient coating materials and craft techniques, and created pioneering uses for traditional and modern materials, including some of his own invention.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRead more about Don in this full \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/blog.lostartpress.live\/2017\/02\/17\/meet-the-author-don-williams\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eprofile\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lost Art Press","offers":[{"title":"Book Only","offer_id":1147199249,"sku":"BK-STUD","price":61.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0306\/3197\/files\/virtuoso.jpg?v=1751314501","url":"https:\/\/lostartpress.live\/products\/virtuoso","provider":"Lost Art Press","version":"1.0","type":"link"}