Textiles: The Art of Mankind

About the Author Mary Schoeser is a leading authority in the field of textiles and is Honorary President of the UK Textile Society. As an adviser on historic textiles and wallpaper, she has worked with organizations such as English Heritage, the National Trust, Liberty in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Schoeser has organized many textile exhibitions, including a collaboration with the Design Museum at the University of California, Davis, to highlight elements of their collection researched in connection with this book. Her previous publications include International Textiles and World Textiles. Product Description This major new work comprises more than 1,000 images that highlight the beauty, subtlety, simplicity or complexity of textiles created around the world. The juxtaposition of historical and contemporary examples highlights the skill and imagination of textile designers throughout history, as well as the remarkable range of achievements. Thematic illustrated sections present in-depth knowledge and sweeping insights into the role textiles have played throughout all human civilization, and illuminate the ways in which structure or surface decoration or embellishment enhance this most tactile of arts. With a definitive text by Mary Schoeser, drawing together knowledge gathered over a liftime of immersion in the textile arts, no other book in the vast literature on the subject has so comprehensively celebrated the spectacular and enduring appeal of textiles. Review 'As good as it gets … a wonderful resource and reference book … this wonderfully illustrated book is a rich visual feast … clear and thought-provoking' - Selvedge 'Can be picked up often as a reference, an inspiration, or for personal refreshment … an extraordinary accomplishment that pays tribute to this field and its practitioners' - Surface Design Journal 'The writer’s knowledge of the field and her practical experience of making are evident throughout … a sumptuous - and well-writtendesign resource aimed at inspiring textile art and design of the future' - Textile History 'With its sumptuous cloth cover and more than 1,000 colour images of historical and contemporary textiles, this fascinating journey through the history and meanings of textiles cannot fail to impress' - Embroidery Book Description An important book that highlights the beauty, subtlety, simplicity and complexity of textiles around the world and down the ages From the Back Cover This major new work comprises more than 1,000 images that highlight the beauty, subtlety, simplicity or complexity of textiles created around the world. The juxtaposition of historical and contemporary examples highlights the skill and imagination of textile designers throughout history, as well as the remarkable range of achievements. Thematic illustrated sections present in-depth knowledge and sweeping insights into the role textiles have played throughout all human civilization, and illuminate the ways in which structure or surface decoration or embellishment enhance this most tactile of arts. With a definitive text by Mary Schoeser, drawing together knowledge gathered over a liftime of immersion in the textile arts, no other book in the vast literature on the subject has so comprehensively celebrated the spectacular and enduring appeal of textiles.