As I have mentioned before on this site, I LOVE Adon Brownell’s books about hardware!  Even though they were written way before I was born, I have them all in hard copy; I especially love the illustrations.

Because these books are long out of print they can be difficult to find, so imagine my excitement when an iDigHardware reader posted links to some of Adon’s books in an online archive!  They’re a great slice of hardware history, and some of the information is still valid today.  You can check them out here:

Hardware Age Builders Hardware Handbook
Taking the Mystery Out of Builders Hardware

And speaking of old hardware, Michael Chusid is offering up some antique door and window hardware to anyone who will make a $100 (minimum) donation to the CSI Foundation + pay for shipping.  If any of you are collectors, send Michael an email.

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Someone new to the industry recently asked me what books she should read in order to learn about doors and hardware more quickly.  Scott Tobias wrote Illustrated Guide to Door Hardware: Design, Specification, Selection, which is available in bookstores and on Amazon.com.  This book was a huge undertaking, and includes comprehensive information as well as photos and details to help clarify the key points.  Here’s a paragraph from the description on Amazon:

When designing, specifying, creating, and reviewing shop drawings for door openings, there are many elements to consider: physical items, such as the door, frame, and hanging devices; the opening’s function; local codes and standards related to fire, life safety, and accessibility; aesthetics; quality and longevity versus cost; hardware cycle tests; security considerations; and electrified hardware requirements, to name a few. Until now, there hasn’t been a single resource for this information.

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Where else do you find information about doors and hardware?  I’d love to compile a list of reference books and other resources here, so if there is a publication, booklet, or website that you use, please leave a response in the reply box!

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