"Rowe (Curator, Western Hemisphere collections, Textile Museum, Washington, DC) has compiled field studies carried out over 20 years by many researchers, with funding from varied sources (e.g., Earthwatch, OAS, USAID). The Highlands (half of Ecuador's land and 40 percent of its population) comprise a coherent cultural unit politically, geographically, and in textile production. Highland peoples are indigenous or white (European descent), with four identifying determinants: language, residence, income, and most important, dress. Descriptions of local materials--leaf fibers, cotton, camelid hair, sheep's wool, and synthetics-and of dyes and spinning/weaving techniques, provide background for appreciating wide varieties and basic similarities of indigenous costumes, most of which have pre-Columbian Inca roots." (CHOICE)

When a tangled web of international politics in the eighteenth century leaves Isabel Grameson and her husband Jean Godin stranded at opposite ends of the Amazon River, Isabel makes a treacherous solo journey to reunite with her husband after twenty years of separation.

"The topic is huge, the book is small, but on these pages Schoeser has packed a large amount of information. Her own long history of involvement with textiles has undoubtedly made it possible to link many facts in a unique way with her avowed aims. Not a country-by-country account, hers is a very successful effort to use textiles as indicators of how human cultures have used all of the complexities relating to textiles as a global commodity and for personal identity and ritual. Of all artifacts humans have produced, clearly this one has a unique place because of its continuity from the Paleolithic period to the present." (CHOICE)

"Items produced in the home to be used by their owners and treasured by later generations are worthy of study in their own right, but they also tell us much about those who made and kept them. Ulrich, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812, again offers brilliant insights into the lives of early Americans, as she examines their material culture as well as their lives. This engaging combination of women's studies, history, and the study of museum artifacts will delight a wide variety of readers. Chapter by chapter, Ulrich presents interesting early American objects and follows their description with the even more fascinating stories of the people who owned them and the world in which they lived." (Book Review)

"In a stunning showcase, Phillips ( The Country House Book ) traces the use of tapestries in various times and cultures--ancient Egyptian, medieval European, contemporary, Persian, Turkish, Algerian, Navajo, etc.--as wall-hangings, floor coverings, spiritual objects and clothing. Augmented by 200 color and 60 black-and-white plates, her engaging text tracks down the origins of ancient designs, unravels changing weaving techniques across the ages and conveys a sense of how tapestries fit into the everyday lives of those who displayed or used them. Contemporary examples, many with the depth and complexity of paintings, range from British weaver Marta Rogoyska's boldly colorful, geometric Hot Bird Jungle to French artist Jean Lurcat's spectacular Apocalypse , along with hangings by David Hockney and Frank Stella." (Publishers Weekly)

"The beauty, sophistication, and diversity of textiles in Africa are well represented by the 570 dazzling color photographs in this volume. Gillow, who has traveled extensively in Africa, does not offer a detailed scholarly study but rather a visual survey of Africa's textiles for the general reader. The text provides just enough information to explain how textiles and their production function in traditional African cultures. After a general introduction, the text is arranged according to the five geographical regions of Africa (West, North, East, Central, and South)." (Library Journal)