If you’re looking to learn about modern furniture, there is a great book by Fay Sweet called Vintage Furniture: Collecting & Living With Modern Design Classics.
The book contains an overview of modern furniture from the late 19th century when modern furniture designs were just starting to be introduced into production.
It includes a summary of all the early influencers such as the Bauhaus, Ruhlmann, Rietveld, Thonet and then onto the Scandinavian influencers such as Wegner, Aalto, Jacobsen and more. Charles and Ray Eames are included of course, as is Noguchi and other modern furniture greats.
Where you will find this book really comes into its own is with its sections on post- and pop-modernism. Since Ettore Sottsass passed away in December 2007, there have been many articles talking about Memphis design and this book will explain what everyone is talking about.
This book is an excellent tutor on classic and modern furniture design and one that should be highly recommended.