Christian Becksvoort, The Shaker Legacy : perspectives on an enduring furniture style, The Taunton Press 1998

When we study the furniture, we can’t point to any single design element or construction technique that is exclusively Shaker. The woodworkers didn’t do anything different than their brethren in the outside world, but they often did it better. Spiritually committed to both the process and the product of furniture making, they practiced scrupulous craftsmanship and built pieces that combined grace and function. Design, materials, and construction came together in a spirit that is unquestionably “Shaker.”