The first book devoted to James Mont, the important and uniquely American Mid-Century interior and furniture designer. By Todd Merrill Mont established his reputation in America for creating custom clandestine bars during prohibition for Hollywood stars and East Coast mobsters.  By the mid-thirties he had a thriving design business based in New York City.  His aesthetic was defined by combining post-Deco glamour with Oriental accents such as exotic finishes, smoked mirrors, and an abundance of silver and gilt.  His characteristic designs often refashioned Asian motives, a transformation Mont described as “Chinese Modern”.  It was very common for one of his creations to have more than a dozen layers of lacquer and/or gold leaf.