Textiles: The Whole Story: Uses, Meanings, Significance

A worldwide history for anyone with a passion for textiles and textile arts, whether creative, professional, or educational.

There are few aspects of our lives―physical, emotional, spiritual―in which thread and fabrics do not play a notable part. Beverly Gordon reminds us memorably and movingly of the powerful significance of fabric throughout human history. Her study of textile art and history is combined with her own hands-on experience: spinning silk from silk- worm cocoons, weaving cloth, and creating natural dyes.

The author bridges past and present from the Stone Age, when humans first learned to make cordage or thread, to twenty-first-century “smart fabrics,” which can regulate body temperature or measure the wearer’s pulse. Her discussion integrates art, science, history, and anthropology, and she draws on examples from around the globe.

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. 250 full-color and 100 black-and-white illustrations