<DIV>At one time, almost every town and village had a blacksmith. There are fewer smiths today, but despite the public perception that blacksmithing belongs to a bygone era, the craft is thriving. Architectural ironwork demands a wide spectrum of skills, from making a finely detailed drawing to forging heavy, red-hot metal bars. A good gate, grille, or balustrade looks so self-evidently right in its setting that its origin seems almost beyond question, but a blacksmith had to measure, design, forge, assemble, finish, and fit it in place. Written by a leading artist blacksmith, and illustrated with nearly 250 photos and drawings, <I>Forged Architectural Metalwork</I> looks at design, construction, finishing, and installation, as well as the skills required of smithworkers in the architectural field today.</DIV>