Revolving bookcase
Category
Furniture
Date
Unknown
Materials
Wood
Measurements
699 x 450 x 457 mm
Order this imageCollection
Greys Court, Oxfordshire
NT 195575
Summary
Square walnut(?) four-sided revolving bookcase with green and gilt tooled leather inset top, each facade has one vertical shelf below a horizontal shelf. Circa 1900.
Full description
Square walnut(?) four-sided revolving bookcase with green and gilt tooled leather inset top, each facade has one vertical shelf below a horizontal shelf. Circa 1900. In the 18th century, the revolving bookcase was also invented, and would be small enough to stand on the floor beside a chair, so that someone sat in a reading room could peruse a choice of books from the comfort of their chair. The first bookcase of this kind was invented by American inventor John Danner. Danner (March 10, 1823 - April 12, 1918) invented and patented (May 16, 1876) the pivot and post revolving bookcase. His bookcase hangs suspended from a simple cast iron bearing which sits on top of an inner column or post. The revolving mechanism consists of two nesting cast iron cones that provide a precise pivot point supporting the entire weight of the bookcase. The top support suspension design addressed the binding and racking problems of previous bottom bearing Lazy Susan type bookcases. "These cases, with their immense load, revolve with a slight touch of the hand; are noiseless in operation, and will last a lifetime." Originally designed to hold 32 volumes of the Encyclopedia, it is a compact, rotating bookcase. "It is a square of 22 inches taking up no more room on the floor than an ordinary chair."