AROUND HOME : Notes on Laundry Space, Dipped Candles, Tiffany Glass and Movado Watches : Legacy of Lace BY KATHLEEN WARNICK AND SHIRLEY NILSSON (Crown Publishers, Inc.; 1988)

LACE HAS ALWAYS been one of the most highly prized and romantic fabrics, and this beautifully organized and illustrated compendium shows why. It gives the history of each kind of lace, details of the techniques used to create them and photographs of gorgeous examples. The reader will not learn how to make these laces (although some stitches are illustrated) but rather how to identify, collect and preserve pieces found in family attics or antique shops. ($24.95)