The Complete Handbook of Trunks
A Practical Reference for Selecting, Maintaining, and Profiting from Storage and Shipping Trunks
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
Identify, evaluate, restore, and sell trunks with confidence. The practical reference for professionals and serious enthusiasts.
About this book
Whether you're sourcing a period-correct trunk for a film set, evaluating an attic find for resale, or running a moving company that handles fragile heirlooms, trunks present a unique set of challenges. Their construction spans two centuries of changing materials and techniques, from hand-cut dovetails and wrought iron to plywood and vulcanized fiber. This handbook gives you the technical knowledge to make confident decisions, whether you're spending, selling, or restoring.
Inside, you'll find detailed breakdowns of trunk types and their defining specifications, a step-by-step framework for choosing the right trunk for any use case, and proven installation and setup procedures for both permanent storage and modern shipping contexts. The maintenance section covers everything from routine cleaning to structural repair, and the business chapter walks through real revenue models: reselling, restoration services, private label manufacturing, and rental to the film industry.
The book doesn't tell you what to like or what's 'valuable' in a subjective sense. It tells you how to determine what something actually is, what condition it's in, what it would take to make it functional, and what the market has historically paid for comparable items. That's the information you need to avoid overpaying, underselling, or damaging a piece through improper care.
Reader Reviews
Ronald Hernandez
★★★★★It's fine, but I came in expecting a lot more on the actual business side of things based on the back cover. The maintenance chapter is excellent, really thorough, and I've already used the wood conditioning schedule on a couple of pieces. But the business chapter is more of a general overview than the 'walk through real revenue models' the blurb promises. It tells you the models exist but doesn't go very deep into pricing or logistics for any of them. Good reference for restoration knowledge, just not a complete business playbook.
Emily Baker
★★★★★This is the book I've been looking for since I started doing prop sourcing for independent films. The Chapter 1 breakdown of how trunk construction changed over the decades was so clearly explained that I can finally date pieces at a glance, and the chapter on types and specs nails down exactly what the production designer means when she asks for a 'campaign trunk.' I had to buy a second copy to keep in the shop because the first one lives in my work bag now. Buy it if you do this professionally.
Mary Hernandez
★★★★★I inherited a repair and resale business from my uncle last year, and while I grew up around trunks, I never had the vocabulary or systematic knowledge to do the work myself. The installation and usage chapter gave me a solid method for packing trunks for shipment that has already reduced a claim I filed for a damaged corner on a glass-front display piece. I docked a star because the troubleshooting section skims over leather tacking repairs, which is a huge part of my restoration work, but overall this is a genuinely useful field manual that doesn't talk down to you.
Brian Green
★★★★★Honestly bought this on a whim after seeing it at a bookstore because I've got a 1930s steamer trunk that has been in my garage for years. The chapter what trunks actually do-and the fact that a lot of them were designed for a one-way voyage and not repeated long-term storage-explains a lot about why mine was falling apart. The maintenance chapter has a very clear, no-nonsense approach to fixing a split corner that I was able to follow in one afternoon. It's a serious, well-written reference that respects its reader, and I'm glad it's on my shelf.