Beautiful Iron: The Pursuit of Excellence

Author: Francis Whitaker

Spiral Bound No Publication Information. Recently published, probably 1997 or 1998.

There is a brief Preface in which Francis Whitaker covers his 70 plus years of blacksmithing in three paragraphs and gives a little of his personal philosophy. This is followed by a numbr of letters written to commend him on his receiving a National Heritage Fellowship in the Traditional Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts, in 1997. Included in the group is a letter from President Clinton.

The book primarily consists of black and white pictures of ironwork by Francis Whitaker going all the way back to the late '20's. Within each chapter the work is presented chronologically, starting with the earliest examples and proceding to the present. There are some pictures of work he did in the mid 1920's while studying with Julius Schramm in Berlin Germany. The most recent piece is a cross done in 1997.

The chapters are titled: Andirons; Candlesticks; Chandeliers; Door Hardware; Fireplace Hoods; fire Screens & Tools; Fireplace Tools; Gates & Window Grilles; Lee Residence; Miscellaneous; Railings; Roll Pattern.

With most of the pictures there is a short paragraph describing the piece, a cut list, The year forged, the city or state where it is located, and if known, the shop time to make the piece. This is not a book to explain technique, if that is what you want or need, then "The Blacksmiths Cookbook" by Francis Whitaker is what you should get. This book will inspire you with ideas on design and possibilities of execution. If you are serious about American contemporary blacksmithing, than sooner or later this book should be on your bookshelf.

Procedes from the sale of the book go to the Blacksmith Foundation, Francis established in Colorado.

Book review by Albin Drzewianowski

-- AlbinDrzewianowski - 07 Jan 2008