Are bedside tables usually sold in pairs?

Pairs are the shape this category most often takes. Of 224 titles, 82 say pair, and plural "tables" appears in 75. Some are described as matched or near pairs, meaning two tables brought together rather than made together as a set.

What wood are they normally made from?

Mahogany leads by a distance, in 77 titles, followed by oak in 21 and walnut in 14. Behind those come kingwood, rosewood, satinwood, yew, ash, cherry and fruitwood, mostly on the French and more decorated pieces.

How old are these tables?

The dealers' dated field runs 1750 to 1940, with 110 of 224 listings carrying a clean year rather than a period name. The 1920s is the busiest decade at 38 listings, then a vague nineteenth century at 30 and the 1930s at 19. Regency, Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian labels fill in behind. A few titles reach further back, including an oak side table given as c.1690.

Why do listings give three names for one table?

Because the object and the use are separate things. A table made as a lamp or side table serves as a bedside, so dealers write "Side / Lamp / Bedside Table" to cover how it might be wanted. Occasional table appears in 26 titles for the same reason: a movable small table with no fixed job.

Do French bedside tables turn up often?

French pieces are roughly a sixth of the category, with "french" in 42 titles and "pair french" in 11. They bring the marquetry, parquetry, kingwood and tulipwood, along with the ormolu mounts and marble tops. Origins beyond England and France are unusual: Swedish, Italian, Spanish and Continental pieces appear once or twice each across the whole archive.

Is a Pembroke table sold as a bedside?

Yes. Pembroke appears in 15 titles, including baby and miniature versions small enough to stand by a bed. Drop-leaf tables account for another eight, the hinged flaps letting the top shrink when it is against a wall.