‘If textiles is your subject, especially the world history aspect of it, this is the book for you … A hugely involved and comprehensive work … factual and informative, yet with a personal touch that draws the reader in’ – Craft & Design Magazine

‘Leafing through this book’s more than 300 pages, one immediately sees that Gordon has drawn deeply from a vast stash of knowledge, and she has written with conviction that cloth is essential for human existence … a rich, generous book’ – Surface Design Journal

This worldwide survey is essential reading for anyone with a passion for textiles, whether creative, professional or educational.

There are few aspects of our lives in which fabrics do not play a part and the author reminds us powerfully of the significance of fabrics throughout human history. Her expertise is enriched by her own hands-on experience: spinning silk from silkworm cocoons, weaving cloth and creating natural dyes. As a curator she has studied thousands of textiles.

Bridging past and present – from the Stone Age to 21st-century ‘smart fabrics’ which can regulate body temperature or measure the wearer’s pulse – the book integrates craft, art, science, history and anthropology, drawing on examples from around the globe.

Here are topics such as the universality of textiles in human language and experience; their social role in bonding families and communities; the importance of textiles in world trade; their spiritual and sacred aspects; and the work of artists using textiles as their medium.

A dazzling array of illustrations includes paintings and photographs of both historic and contemporary textiles and a broad collection of textiles being created, worn and lived with.

Beverly Gordon is Professor in the Design Studies Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is also affiliated with the Folklore and Material Culture programs. Her many publications include Shaker Textile Arts, Feltmaking and The Saturated World: Aesthetic Meaning, Intimate Objects, Women’s Lives, 1890–1940.

Also of interest
World Textiles: A Visual Guide to Traditional Techniques
Textiles Today: A Global Survey of Trends and Traditions
Embroidered Textiles: A World Guide to Traditional Patterns
Fashioning the Future: Tomorrow’s Wardrobe
The Primary Structures of Fabrics: An Illustrated Classification