The golden thread : how fabric changed history / Kassia St Clair.
By: St. Clair, Kassia [author.]
.
Material type: 
BookPublisher: London : John Murray, 2019Copyright date: ©2018Description: xii, 352 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.Content type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 9781473659056 (paperback).Subject(s): Textile fabrics -- History | WeavingDDC classification: 746.09 | Item type | Current library | Call number | Status | Barcode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General lending | MTU Crawford College of Art and Design Library Lending | 746.09 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | Available | 00231692 | |
| General lending | MTU Crawford College of Art and Design Library Store | 746.09 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | Available | 00231694 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
** A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK **
'Fascinating . . . The history of the world through the eye of a needle . . . I recommend this book to anyone' THE SPECTATOR
' A charming, absorbing and history that takes us on a journey from the silk roads to sportswear, from ruffs to spacesuits . . . I devoured this quietly feminist book' SUNDAY TIMES
'Joyful and beautiful' NATURE
' Will make you rethink your relationship with fabric' ELLE DECORATION
All textiles begin with a twist. From colourful 30,000-year old threads found on the floor of a Georgian cave to what the linen wrappings of Tutankhamun's mummy actually meant; from the Silk Roads to the woollen sails that helped the Vikings reach America 700 years before Columbus; from the lace ruffs that infuriated the puritans to the Indian calicoes and chintzes that powered the Industrial Revolution, our continuing reinvention of cloth tells fascinating stories of human ingenuity.
When we talk of lives hanging by a thread, being interwoven, or part of the social fabric, we are part of a tradition that stretches back many thousands of years. Fabric has allowed us to achieve extraordinary things and survive in unlikely places, and this book shows you how -- and why.
With a cast that includes Chinese empresses, Richard the Lionheart and Bing Crosby, Kassia St Clair takes us on the run with escaped slaves, climbing the slopes of Everest and moonwalking with astronauts. Running like a bright line through history, The Golden Thread offers an unforgettable adventure through our past, present and future.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 323-338) and index.
Fibres in the cave -- Dead men's shrouds -- Gifts and horses -- Cities that silk built -- Surf dragons -- A king's ransom -- Diamonds and the ruff -- Solomon's coats -- Layering in extremis -- Workers in the factory -- Under pressure -- Harder, better, faster, stronger -- The golden cape -- Golden threads.
"All textiles begin with a twist. From colourful 30,000-year old threads found on the floor of a Georgian cave to what the linen wrappings of Tutankhamun’s mummy actually meant; from the Silk Roads to the woollen sails that helped the Vikings reach America 700 years before Columbus; from the lace ruffs that infuriated the puritans to the Indian calicoes and chintzes that powered the Industrial Revolution, our continuing reinvention of cloth tells fascinating stories of human ingenuity." - publisher's description.
Author notes provided by Syndetics
Kassia St Clair studied the history of women's dress and the masquerade during the eighteenth century at Bristol and Oxford. She has since written about design and culture for the Economist , House & Garden , TLS , Quartz and New Statesman , and has had a column about colour in Elle Decoration since 2013. Her first book The Secret Lives of Colour was a top-ten bestseller, a Radio 4 Book of the Week and has been translated into over a dozen languages; her second, The Golden Thread , was a Sunday Times Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Somerset Maugham Award. She lives in London.
www.kassiastclair.com