From New Fine Points of Furniture, Early American, by Albert Sack.
......"Measurements follow certain patterns. On a case piece, such as a secretary, highboy, slant-top desk, chest-on-chest, et cetera, the measurement is across the case or the lower case. On a piece with a top board, such as a lowboy, bureau, or sideboard, the measurement is the width and depth of the top. The height is always the total height, to the top of the finial if there is one. Side chairs are measured only by height, armchairs by height and width across arms, if available."
I'm finishing up a chest from this book that was derived from their numbers, and I swear it's not as wide as it appears in the photo. I assumed, as they describe and I quote above, that the width measurement was along the length of the top. I'm wondering if their rules really hold for every piece in the book.
JD