Finally, a pocket guide to buying furniture, offering no-nonsense reviews of the best shops. It's the book author Jennifer Litwin needed the first time she went into a furniture store; when she asked the dealer if he had anything besides English furniture, he responded, No-we only sell French furniture.

That was a long time ago, and Jennifer Litwin has since become one of America's premier furniture brokers. Her book is for anyone who has ever felt intimidated by the antiques market, and wanted a down-anddirty guide to shopping for all kinds of antique furniture.

Cut to an easy-to-carry size and sharply focused, Furniture Hot Spots will help the antiques shopper understand what constitutes quality furniture and how to tell period from reproduction pieces. The core of the book tells readers where to find what they're looking for and how to negotiate a fair price once they've found it. The book divides the nation into ten regions and provides info-packed reviews of everything from upscale urban boutiques to barn-style antiques shops. Each shop is profiled concisely, with phone numbers and Web sites, as well as comments about the quality of the stock and the kind of items the store specializes in.

Jennifer Litwin also includes invaluable tips on how to buy at auction as well as the best way to navigate flea markets and chain stores of all price ranges, many of which are also reviewed. This is the essential guidebook no furniture search should be without.