English joiner John Head (1688-1754) immigrated to Philadelphia in 1717 and became one of its most successful artisans and merchants. His prominence had been lost to history until the discovery of his account book at the Amer. Philosophical Soc. The earliest and most complete account book to have survived from any cabinetmaker working in Brit. North Amer. or in Great Britain, it records thousands of transactions over a 35-year period (1718-1753). This volume represents the definitive interpretation of the Heads account book. Profusely illustrated and with a comprehensive general index, it is an essential reference work on 18th-cent. Phila., its furniture and material culture, and a detailed social history of that eras artisans and merchants.
