The literature of interior design has come to occupy a substantial portion of art book publishing today. A survey of key literature produced since 1961 amply demonstrates the intellectual and social development of interior design from its origins as an aspect of the applied arts, rooted in architectural practice, to its present status as an interconnected but independent discipline. The subsequent thirty years have seen considerable changes in published books on interior design. In particular, newer writings on interior design and decoration represent a sharply defined balance between professional and popular interests. Post-1961 books reflect aspects of design history in the making, and they themselves serve as forms of cultural interpretation. When Gertrude Lackshewitz's bibliography Interior Design and Decoration was published by the New York Public Library in 1961, it was the first reference tool to survey the major literature of the field on a comprehensive basis.1 This publication cited a growing number of reference books, histories, period surveys, and works on specific interior design components. Interior Design and Decoration has thus become a watershed publication, as well as a starting point for further bibliographical investigation. Post-war interior design practices, along with increased disposable income and consumerism, fostered the creation of more publications than ever before. Scholarly design studies developed in earnest throughout the i960s, and publishing on interiors boomed in response to varied professional and general demands.2 Since 1961, standards have been drawn up, educational courses have been plotted, and a proliferation of organizations and associations has been created to advance interior design as a profession. The 1991 Encyclopedia of Associations now lists seventy-four international interior design groups.3 Books of the past thirty years show the rapid evolution of interior design enquiry into two separate contexts useful either for professionals or amateurs. A common thread can be found even within this dichotomy: most authors acknowledge and confront issues related to interior design's role as a cultural force.4 As the literature has grown markedly, the quality of most books' texts has risen to meet the expanding nature of design studies. The most substantial increase in books on interior design and decoration occurred during the i98os, including many picture book and glossy periodical productions, triggered by the rampant consumerism of that decade. The influx of these books firmly established eclecticism as an enduring aspect of industrial and popular taste. A review of significant titles reveals that interior design and decoration research is moving toward new and more sophisticated conclusions.