bookshelf: 1920's ?what kind of wood is this? designer?  

Op deze manier is...
het gemakkelijker Johan,...graag gedaan

It most certainly
is not rosewood or palisander. My guess is that it is Zebrano that is cut the wrong way. Wrong in this case is just in my opinion, not a technical sense. There are a number of ways to cut veneer but the most common is the (un)roll it. A long sharp blade is held against the tree that has previously be made round on a lathe. The blade cuts in a long continious spirle until the core diameter is reached. That core diameter is the smallest diameter that can be cut in that particular wood and still allows you to flatten the veneer without dammaging it. All plywood and most common veneers are made that way. More precious woods are shaved. a flat blade runs on an angle along the tree and cuts thin slices in teh same way as one would cut wooden boards or planks....but without losing wood. Zebrano would normally be shaved, not un-rolled. The only explanation possible is that the more dramatic result of unrolling (it cuts through the year-rings of the tree
was popular at the time. Whenever there is a dramatic difference between the colours of the beginning and end of the growing season, cutting through the year rings gives this dramatic result. The other reason might be found in Holland's colonial past and the availability of wood in Indonesia. Wood that is now considered unusual and expensive might have been quite common at the time this piece of furniture was made...I have no idea of what the Euro is worth these days but if you like it it is a bargain.