Following on from the discussion of reading chairs, I would refer anyone interested in library furniture to the Simon Jervis's essay 'The English Country House Library' in Nicolas Barker (ed.), Treasures from the Libraries of National Trust Country Houses (New York: Royal Oak Foundation & the Grolier Club, 1999), ISBN 0 910672 25 3.

The library chair at Saltram is described as 'a patent metamorphic library chair made by Morgan and Saunders', and is said to be illustrated in Ackermann's Repository of Arts of 1811'. (Further details in Frances Collard, Regency Furniture (Woodbridge, 1985, pp. 20-21).

If I may bend the rules slightly, I would like to put in a plug for this recent National Trust publication, which was issued to mark a spectacular exhibition of books from our collections (current estimate: 500,000 in about 120 libraries). It is lavishly illustrated, and includes descriptions of 121 books, and three introductory essays, one by Simon Jervis and two by Nicolas Barker. It usually has to be obtained from the Royal Oak Foundation in New York, but I have a very limited stock in London, and I would be pleased to supply copies to members of the list resident in the United Kingdom at £30, post included.