中文简介：

这是一本关于美国特殊椅子设计历史和演变的书籍。书中介绍了57把具有代表性的椅子，并且通过49篇文章展示了它们的美感、历史背景以及对社会、经济、政治和文化的影响。这些椅子涉及到了许多知名设计师，如约翰·亨利·贝尔特（John Henry Belter）、乔治·亨辛格（George Hunzinger）、赫特兄弟（Herter Brothers）、斯蒂克利兄弟（Stickley Brothers）、弗兰克·劳埃德·赖特（Frank Lloyd Wright）、伊姆斯夫妇（Charles and Ray Eames）、埃罗·沙里宁（Eero Saarinen）、野口勇（Isamu Noguchi）和弗兰克·盖里（Frank Gehry）等人的设计。

书中介绍的一些具有历史意义的椅子包括众议院会议厅扶手椅（1857年），亚伯拉罕·林肯坐在这把椅子上的照片，以及阿巴拉契亚弯柳扶手椅，在1901年的照片中，麦金利总统在他夏季住宅的门廊上坐着这把椅子。战后美国历史上的主要标志包括查尔斯·伊姆斯1946年的无扶手胶合板椅，以及弗兰克·盖里1972年设计的皱褶椅。

本书将这些椅子分为四个主要部分，按时间顺序排列，分别是从19世纪初到内战、重建时期到20世纪初、新艺术到战后现代主义、以及战后太空时代到数字时代以及当代对空间节约和可持续性的关注。每一节开篇都有对其关键主题的简要介绍。

英文简介：

A fascinating survey of exceptional American chair design from the early nineteenth century to the present day.

Designed for function, each chair has a story to tell about the history and evolution of American design, art and craftmanship. At the heart of the catalogue is the presentation of 57 chairs from the Jacobsen Collection of American Art covered in 49 essays, all showing beauty and historical context, as well as important social, economic, political and cultural influences. Highlights include designs by John Henry Belter, George Hunzinger, Herter Brothers, Stickley Brothers, Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, Isamu Noguchi, and Frank Gehry, among others. There are good examples of historically significant chairs, such as the House of Representatives Chamber Arm Chair (1857), and a photograph of this chair being sat in by Abraham Lincoln, plus an Appalachian Bent Willow Armchair, which is shown in a 1901 photo being sat in by President McKinley on the porch of his summer home. Key icons from post-war American history include Charles Eames' 1946 moulded plywood Low/Lounge Wood Chair, and the Contour Bar Stool designed by Frank Gehry in 1972.

The chairs are arranged across four main, broadly chronological sections, from the early 1800s to the Civil War; from Reconstruction through the Gilded Age to the dawn of the 20th century; from Art Nouveau to post-war Modernism; and finally, from the post-war Space Age to the Digital Age and the contemporary focus on space saving and sustainability. Each section opens with a brief introduction to its key themes.