Two budget-priced copies of the same woodworking furniture plan book sit in front of you: Making Authentic Craftsman Furniture: Instructions and Plans for 62 Projects. One is in Good condition at USD 5.69. The other is marked ACCEPTABLE at USD 5.51. Both are trade paperbacks from the Dover Crafts: Woodworking series, both are reprints of Gustav Stickley's classic, and both cover the same 62 furniture projects. The real difference comes down to condition and price.
Quick verdict
If you want a cleaner reference copy for less than a dollar more, pick the Good copy at USD 5.69. If keeping the outlay minimal matters more and you can tolerate a worn, possibly marked-up book, the Acceptable copy at USD 5.51 is the economical route.
Price and condition comparison
| Copy | Listed price | Condition | Price bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making Authentic Craftsman Furniture: Instructions and Plans for 62 Projects | USD 5.69 | Good | |
| Making Authentic Craftsman Furniture: Instructions and Plans for 62 - ACCEPTABLE | USD 5.51 | Acceptable |
Both copies share the same core details: author, series, format, and project count. Because the content is identical, the decision comes down to how much physical wear you're willing to accept and how much you want to pay for a cleaner copy.
Where each copy wins
- The Good copy wins when you want a better-preserved edition with the same plans and a cleaner starting point.
- The Acceptable copy wins when the lowest possible upfront cost matters more than physical condition.
Product notes
Making Authentic Craftsman Furniture: Instructions and Plans for 62 Projects
This copy is in Good condition, which means the pages and cover should be intact, though the condition notes allow for signs of wear, limited notes or highlight marks, and possibly a former library label. It's the same Gustav Stickley plan book as the other copy: 62 projects for Craftsman-style furniture, with a reprint format and a trade paperback binding. Choose this one if you want a neater reference for your woodworking furniture plans and you're willing to pay a little more than the lower-priced copy. The main limitation is that Good is still a used-book condition, so you might see pencil marks or a missing dust cover. If you need a pristine shop manual, this is not that.
Making Authentic Craftsman Furniture: Instructions and Plans for 62 - ACCEPTABLE
This is the lower-priced copy of the two. The title says it all: Acceptable condition. The condition notes say the book may have liquid damage, filled-in answers, or missing components such as access codes, so be ready for a working copy rather than a display piece. It contains the same 62 plans from Gustav Stickley and the same Dover Crafts: Woodworking series as the Good copy. If your priority is a minimal upfront cost for woodworking furniture plans and you don't mind a book that shows heavy use, this is the one to pick. The limitation is baked into the lower price: acceptable condition is a gamble. You might receive a copy with water marks or someone else's pencil notes, making it less pleasant to follow page by page.
Final choice by use case
For a workbench-only plan book where you'll flip pages and maybe write in the margins, the Acceptable copy is the practical choice because it costs less upfront and the condition won't matter once you're building. For a neater companion to your woodworking furniture plans, spend the small difference on the Good copy and enjoy a cleaner reading experience.
