Collecting American Country by Carol Cooper Garey, Chris Mead, Mary Emmerling (1983)

This hardcover book is called "Collecting American Country- How to Select, Maintain, and Display Country Pieces". The author is Mary Ellisor Emmerling. This is a coffee-table sized book measuring approx. 10 inches by 10 inches. Book is 276 pages long and includes lots of gorgeous color photography. Book is dated 1983. $35.00 cover price.

Quoting from inside the dustjacket: "Collecting American Country is for anyone who has experienced the first stirrings of affection or a full-blown passion for a handcrafted object from America's past. Whether it's an Amish doll, a redware bowl, a weather vane, a decoy, or a quilt, each of these country pieces- both old and new alike- represents a traditional American design form. This book explains how to recognize, select, care for, display, and decorate with the finest examples of antique and contemporary American Country folk art and furnishings.

The first chapter, "Old things from A to Z", is an alphabetical listing of American Country objects from advertising to Zanesville "sewer pipe" animals, with baskets, flasks, pewter, whirligigs, and scores of other listings. Each entry, accompanied by a photograph, details the history, composition, and characteristics of the object. The following chapters include an introduction to some of today's most gifted craftsmen working in the American country mode; advice from prominent antiques dealers and collectors on maintaining furniture and folk art; tips on arranging, mounting and illuminating; and a visit to exquisite homes across the country where collections are an essential element of the decor...

About the Author: Mary Ellisor Emmerling, contributing editor of Self Magazine, is a former decorating editor of House Beautiful and home furnishings editor of Mademoiselle Magazine. She is the owner of Mary Emmerling's American Country Store in New York City. Her first book, American Country, was published in 1980. (End quote from dust jacket.)

This book has some of the most practical advice I have ever seen for living in harmony with your collectibles. Here are lots of great photos effectively demonstrating that large numbers of objects DON'T have to look like a chaos of clutter! Whether you collect linens, quilts, antique washboards, shaker boxes, baskets, antique toys, teddy bears, dolls, weather vanes, pottery, earthenware, spongeware, Native American/Indian artifacts (some gorgeous beaded bags are shown in this book!), paintings, homespun fabric, aprons, Christmas decorations & ornaments, kitchen utensils, cookie cutters, hooked and rag rugs, wood carvings, decoys, wreaths, shaker furniture, or a hodgepodge of all the above, this book will give you great display ideas.