SHAKER LIFE, WORKS AND ART by...

SHAKER LIFE, WORKS AND ART by June Sprigg & David Larkin (Houghton Mifflin: $25 until Dec. 31, $30 thereafter). It seems ironic that the Shaker religion should become the object of so much attention just as the sect is dying out. (Only a handful of believers remain, most of them quite elderly.) The architecture, furniture and utensils displayed in these historic and modern photographs reflect the Shaker belief that work, prayer and beauty are inextricably linked: “Don’t make something if it’s not useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful, as long as the decorative elements are an inherent part of the design and don’t interfere with function.” The sturdy dignity of these objects offer a kind of aesthetic balm to readers weary of the frantic over-ornamentation that characterizes so many contemporary products.