Curtis Companies

Curtis Companies was not a single individual author but a corporate name used by a group of associated sash, door, and millwork businesses. Archival records describe the Curtis Companies as a conglomerate founded in 1866 that later consolidated into a single corporation, while library and public-domain book records show it published a steady stream of design books, plan books, and woodwork manuals in the early 1900s.

Its publications include titles such as Woodwork: the Permanent Furniture for Your Home, Better Built Homes, Attractive Bungalows, Curtis Design Book, and Keeping Down the Cost of Your Woodwork. These books were created to help readers imagine, plan, and specify architectural woodwork for houses, making the company a notable example of how American manufacturers used publishing as both a practical service and a marketing tool.

Today, Curtis Companies is mainly remembered through those beautifully produced building guides, which offer a window into domestic architecture, craftsmanship, and home-improvement ideals of their era. For modern listeners and readers, the appeal is not just historical: the books still carry a clear, hands-on voice aimed at people who wanted homes that were efficient, tasteful, and well made.