Old Stoves are Hot! is a pictorial history of American cooking stoves from 1870 to 1955.
Topics include the 1950s classics (such as O'Keefe & Merritt and Wedgewood), wood burning stoves, oil stoves, gasoline vapor stoves, electric stoves and much more!
While presenting a well researched and fascinating historical survey of the changes in fuels used for cooking throughout the years, it also chronicles the development of safety and operating features along with describing the many changes in design and style.
The book is full of hundreds of interesting advertising images and informative pictures from stove company brochures.
Anyone who owns an antique stove, who values fine craftsmanship or is interested in history or industrial design will appreciate this book.
It is an entertaining and enjoyable experience whether one "thumbs through" the many pictures and captions or reads the complete text.
Pilot Light Press
Highlight a link at top of this page to view a sample page!
Large size 8 1/2 x 11 format.
Printed in full color!
Old Stoves are Hot!
Some Reviews:
"Author Skip Lau offers a real gem here to anyone who shares his love for antique stoves and their many colorful connections to family, society and American history... The [vintage] ads, often in full color, are interesting enough to be a book in themselves although they really come alive through the thoughtful content provided. This attractive book offers an unexpectedly enjoyable ride into our past."
"Jeffree"
Business writing instructor
University of California Santa Barbara
"...a sizzling book... a great job!"
Frank Donadee
Publisher of Collector magazine
"This books really cooks... A must read for anyone interested in the evolution of cooking and the kitchen..."
R.F. Bublitz
Professional Chef and culinary arts instructor
"When you come [to my house] to work on my stove, please sign [my copy of] your book! It is very well written and so interesting!"
Nancy Callahan
Director of Wildlife Rescue
"The author's style of writing is easy to read and there is so much I didn't know about [old] stoves. On top of the great writing [there] is a wealth of interesting imagery. There are literally hundreds... of [old] ads in this book. If you have any sort of fondness for functional 'old things' you will love this book."
Tamara Cribley
Graphics Designer
Author's Note: Tamara was the graphics designer on Old Stoves are Hot and she did a fantastic job.
"I love[d] this book. As a trained historian Old Stoves are Hot is just the kind of book history wonks get into sometimes. Stoves spread themselves into all sorts of disciplines: technology, consumerism, leisure time, women's history. family history, industrial design, interior design, cooking, upward mobility, health sciences... [and] more.
Skip takes us on a grand tour of technological domesticity, if you will, from Colonial times to the 1950s-1960s. [His] history is accessible to anyone with an interest in old stoves... A special delight are the hundreds of old adverts...
Buy this book. It's fun and you'll learn something from it."
