Real LI

"The Adirondack Chair" by Daniel Mack (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, $17.95): From its humble beginning as a quick solution to outdoor seating needs, the Adirondack chair has defined a place in American furniture design. The author looks at how the chair was first developed in 1903 and how its basic style designs -- low-slung, wide arms, slatted seats and backs -- remain popular today. With this bright and colorful book, we get dozens of photos of old and new chairs, examples of vintage newspaper ads touting the chairs virtues and even a guide to building such a chair. This is a fun and charming book, filled with anecdotes and bits of Americana.

- PAM ROBINSON