We grew up in New York's Mohawk Valley, about 100 miles south of the Adirondack Mountains, a region credited with giving birth to the rustic furniture tradition in 19th-century America. Leigh and I have had the privilege of being guests at one of the great private "camps" up there, the Adirondack League Club, which is a magical place to hike and fish - and see amazing examples of furniture inspired by the local forests. But "Adirondack" has become shorthand for just about any kind of rustic furniture, including styles that have nothing to do with the area. Case in point: the famous Adirondack chair, that angled, multislatted, low-seated icon of American lawn furniture.

According to Craig Gilborn, former director of the Adirondack Museum, these chairs appear to be based on the Westport chair designed around 1900 by Thomas Lee, who had a summer cottage in Westport, New York, on Lake Champlain - which is technically not part of the Adirondacks. One winter Lee lent the design to a hunting partner, Harry Bunnell, a carpenter who was hard up for cash. Using hemlock and basswood, Bunnell began turning out Westport chairs with backs, seats, and armrests made of wide planks. He patented his version in 1905.

That patent date, along with "H.C. Bunnell," is stamped on the backrest of every original Westport chair, making them easy to identify - when you can find one. Many rotted away over the years or were entombed in countless coats of paint; this was outdoor furniture, after all. Collectors pay up to $3,000 for a stamped Bunnell with the original reddish-brown stain (and a good provenance), and even more for a rocker, tête-à-tête, or other rare variation. "There's no end to the ingenuity of guys working their way through a long winter in a wood shop," says Gilborn.

Which may also explain the genesis of the modern Adirondack chair. Gilborn speculates that amateur woodworkers started knocking off the Westport in the 1930s using narrower slats made from scrap lumber. Manufacturers eventually began producing a version out of pine, and by World War II the classic silhouette we recognize today - deeply angled seat, wide arms, and a balloon back with gaps between the slats - became ubiquitous across the country. The terms "Adirondack" and "Westport" are often used interchangeably today.

It's hard to believe that anything that looks, from a distance, like it's made for a contortionist could be comfortable, but Westport and Adirondack chairs are a pleasure to sit in - perfect for reading a book under a tree, hanging out on the porch, or even watching TV in the family room. We actually prefer the Westport chair to the Adirondack, in part because of its history but also because the taller backrest supports your head and, unlike slats, the wide-plank back doesn't leave indentations on your body after you've been sitting awhile.

Both kinds of chairs are reproduced today for between $150 and $600 in cedar, maple, mahogany, oak, pine, cypress, and teak. Stainless steel screws and marine epoxy in the joints allow them to weather well, as does paint, stain, or urethane that contains a UV blocker and a fungicide. Chairs finished in a clear, outdoor water-based urethane are easiest to touch up.

Besides chairs, you can find Adirondack chaises, gliders, and recliners. Whatever style you choose, test-drive before you buy. Made correctly, with just the right angles, an Adirondack or Westport chair is one of the most comfortable pieces of furniture you can buy.