John Kassay (1919 in Bayonne, New Jersey – February 17, 2004, in San Bruno, California) was an expert in Shaker and Windsor furniture as well as a skilled craftsman, draftsman and photographer.
Kassay earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star while serving in Gen. George S. Patton's Third Army in the Second World War.
The book was universally praised for its exquisitely rendered and finely detailed drawings of Shaker furniture.
When former President Jimmy Carter received Kassay's book on Shaker furniture in late 1983, he wrote at the bottom of the official typed reply letter: "I've long admired the beautiful simplicity of Shaker furniture and have made several of their pieces myself.
In addition to his books, Professor Kassay also was a frequent contributor to woodworking and industrial arts journals.