A Dedication to Beauty: An Antiquarian's Life with Antiques and Old Houses

"I suppose that I am a man of the past. I think I miss the 18th century, among others. I certainly resonate with the philosophy of those times when good taste was an achievement pridefully kept in mind, and shown in the craftsmanship of homes and their interior furnishings."

In this splendid book, Mel Shakespeare traces his 60-year history of saving old barns, log houses and antiques "from the burn pile" and restoring them in harmony with each other.

Beginning with a log house made of 24" X 24" squared timbers that he bought from a farmer who was about to destroy it, Shakespeare and his wife and various accomplices began a massive restoration job on a property near Uxbridge, Ontario. Teaching himself about Ontario and Quebec furniture from past centuries, he bought sturdy pioneer furniture that was still widely available then, and built a pond and stone- and-log house that was his home for many years.

But learning how to restore his own home gave him a new business: scouring upstate New York and New England and eastern Canada for finely created old houses to be moved and restored, and barn foundations from the 19th century that could be used for the beautifully cut and split granite that would be re-used for restored stone foundations and chimneys.

A Dedication to Beauty relates the stories of 26 beautiful reconstructions and restorations, from the first square-timber house to reconstructions of log, post-and-beam, and stone houses that were first built as far east as Nova Scotia, and from the gigantic pines of northern Ontario. Each provided challenges, from discovery to carefully bringing logs out of the regrown bush -- sometimes over frozen lakes in winter.

Numbering logs and stones for re-assembly, and finding craftsmen adept at the old arts was a part of the process. Next was finding the right authentic furniture and finishes to bring the houses to their maximum beauty.

All 26 are described and shown here (along with the people who owned them) with more than 320 full color pictures of 18th and 19th century antiques, the elements of the structures as they were being rebuilt, and the final results. And it was more than a business for Mel Shakespeare -- the relationships with the people, the structures and the antiques resonate throughout the thoughtful and often humorous text.

This is a book for everyone interested in the old structures and furniture of Eastern North America. Previously published in an edition limited to 350 copies, it is now available at a popular price.