Wire (Everyday Things)
To take something as ordinary as wire and present it as a true  art form is an amazing achievement, and this book does exactly that.  According to Suzanne Slesin, the story of wire as a component of useful  and decorative household objects began in Slovakia in the 17th century,  where tinkers used thin strands of iron to repair household pottery.  The art of wirework flourished and traveled throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the next century, becoming highly developed and  quite popular by the end of the 1800s; utilitarian objects such as  baskets, bottle racks, serving dishes, plant stands, trivets, and  birdcages were both made of and embellished with wire. Sadly, wire  ornamentation as a decorative art is mainly a thing of the past, but  because these objects are so sturdy, they can often be purchased as  antiques. The book has a long directory of European and American  sources for wirework.