Southampton - "Billy Baldwain: The Great American Decorator" begins with a foreword by legendary American designer and Baldwin's dear friend Albert Hadley, who credits Baldwin with helping start his illustrious career upon his wide-eyed arrival in New York City in 1947 will be released the first week in November. (Hardcover with jacket, 256 pages, publication November 2010).

Hadley also credits author Adam Lewis with "documenting the life of Billy Baldwin with authority, candor, charm, and even humor." Lewis faced many obstacles in obtaining pertinent information for the success of this project, but his persistence was rewarded with access to rare personal information about Baldwin including correspondence with Deeda and Bill Blair, Hadley's comprehensive collection of clippings and memorabilia chronicling Baldwin's career, Harry Hinson's letters from Baldwin, and much more. Lewis also obtained transcripts of four 1974 lectures that Baldwin gave at the Cooper-Hewitt, published here for the first time. The result is a stunning illustrated volume in the tradition of Rizzoli's Albert Hadley and David Hicks, a definitive book on the work of the "Dean of American Decorating," known for his classical taste, streamlined modernism, and brilliant use of color.

Baldwin's entrée into New York's high society began when his work caught the eye of eminent New York City decorator Ruby Ross Wood, who invited him to join her firm. She raved about Baldwin, saying his work stood out "like a beacon of light in the boredom of the houses around it." Immensely charming, Baldwin was a popular addition to this world, and built an impressive client list that included the power couple Babe and Bill Paley, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, among others.

Baldwin's style was new and fresh, and contradicted long established design conventions - he was an enemy of clutter, favored natural materials, comfortable furniture, and using color to create the drama in his rooms, which were simultaneously classical and modernist, tailored and clean. His trademark use of striking color was famously evident in Cole Porter's dark brown library, and the scarlet cotton chintz that covered legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland's apartment. Baldwin's aesthetic transcended the span of his career to leave a stamp on the work of many important contemporary designers, including Bunny Williams and Jeffrey Bilhuber.

Following his highly regarded and best-selling books devoted to iconic designers Van Day Truex and Albert Hadley, "Billy Badwin: The Great American Decorator" is an intimate homage to the life and achievements of one of the most prolific, influential interior decorators of the 20th century, and will be an important addition to any design library.

About The Author
Adam Lewis is an interior designer and the author of "Van Day Truex: The Man Who Defined Twentieth-Century Taste and Style" and "Albert Hadley: America's Preeminent Interior Designer."

For further information contact Tooraj Kavoussi at 845-784-4721 or tkavoussi@rizzoliusa.com.