The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History

I'm a weaver and spinner and loved "The Color Red" so I thought this might be interesting. It is, but I found myself looking for images of Queen Elizabeth I's portraits to check out the lace ruffs. The descriptions are good, but images would be better. I found the essays on cotton, rayon and the Everest and Antarctic expeditions the most enlightening.

Hearing St. Clair describing her book on public radio, caught my attention, and led me to look into this text. My mother ran/owned a fabric store for many years where she and my sister were involved with many aspects of sewing personally and as part of the business. Given my family involvement, I was fascinated to see this history and context for textile origins, its progression, and perspective on its influence in our lives.After an Introduction, the author proceeds through almost self-contained thirteen chapters that ‘cover’ her subject and ‘weave the story.’ More specifically, she deals with: (1) Fibers in the Cave: The Origins of Weaving, (2) Dead Men’s Shroud: Wrapping and Unwrapping Mummies, (3) Gifts and Horses: Silk in Ancient China, (4) Cities that Silk Built: The Silk Roads, (5) Surf Dragons: The Vikings Woolen Sails, (6) A King’s Ransom: Wool in Medieval England, (7) Diamonds and the Ruff: Lace and Luxury, (8) Solomon’s Coats: Cotton, America and Trade, (9) Layering in Extremis: Clothing to Conquer Everest and the South Pole, (10) Workers in the Factory: Rayon’s Dark Past, (11) Under Pressure: Suites Suitable for Space, (12) Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger: Record Breaking Sports Fabrics, (13) The Golder Cape: Harnessing Spider Silk. There is also a concluding chapter ‘Golden Threads: A Coda’ as well as helpful Acknowledgements, Glossary, Notes, Bibliography, and Index sections.My favorite parts include those when St. Clair uses poetic and literary allusions and descriptors starting early on in the book. For instance, in the Introduction she offers the explanation of the 3 fates of Greek mythology that create a person’s life thread with a beginning, middle and end (each a story line) affected by forces and woven into the culture. I was also particularly interested in the evolution of weaving from a household activity to business and industry (see Robertson’s  Essays in Medieval Culture (Princeton Legacy Library)  and Khanna’s  The Future Is Asian  for more on the silk road). Then, there is the development of synthetic textiles leading eventually to global sourcing (see Khanna’s  Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization ). The prominence of women in this movement both empowering and exploitative comes through the narrative (see also Paglia’s  Free Women, Free Men: Sex, Gender, Feminism ). The observation that we have reached the point of having disposable clothing and the need for environmental consumers to turn the tide against that trend was revelatory. Having been a swimmer and had aerospace business familiarity, it was fun to read the author’s accounts regarding those and other high-performance fabric applications.From a personal stance, I would have liked more on the fabric business and individual sewing which has now become more of an art form in the developed countries. Some charts about the economics and additional illustrations would have been useful as well. Textbooks like “Going Global: The Textile and Apparel Industry” by Kunz et al may be useful sources in that regard (see also my review of Pulizzi's "Content Inc." re the Missouri Star Quilt Company). But obviously these books do not have the charm and artistic quality of St. Clairs’ presentation.For those with such interests and tastes, this book is clearly worth your attention.

Loved the book. Very informative!

Pretty nice book.

I was enjoying the book very much, until I got to the opening pages of Chapter 6, there I found a rather large error. Now I'm not sure if I want to continue reading the book, nor am I totally comfortable that what I have already read is error-free.

Being interested in textiles, I was grateful for the information given. The first half of the book held me spell bound but the latter half veers away from the fascinating account of natural fabric into more of the chemical aspects of today's polyesters, etc. I had trouble following that latter but appreciated the scholarship of the initial chapters.

I am fairly well informed about textiles and their history, but not an expert. I saw this book recommended and thought it might make a good gift for a similarly interested friend, but I wanted to read it first in case it was too simplistic, romanticized, or just wrong. Fortunately, the style of the narrative, while aimed at a general reader with little prior knowledge, is engaging and thoughtful. Rather than a general history, It consists of a series of essays rooted in events, techniques, or practices in textiles, but uses them as a window into culture and human history, seen through an unconventional lens. Each essay stands alone, with a diverse range of topics addressed in a thoughtful and engrossing manner. I did give it to my friend, and bought another copy for someone else.

It's fabric, all right, but some instances the connection may seem distant. Nevertheless I found this book fascinating from beginning to end. I loved her book about color, too. Can't wait to read her next book.

O livro foi além das minhas expectativas.

This book is a well-researched exploration into the history of fibres and textiles ... their impact on the world as a commodity, as a social and environmental issue, as a status symbol, and more. Within its limited pages, it would be impossible to include every single culture and historical period since time began, but it does an excellent job of giving context and providing insights into the world of fabrics, both the commendable and the shameful. Next time you look at your clothes, or visit a fabric shop, I guarantee you will be looking at textiles in a whole new way.

Livre passionnant, très bien écrit, je recommande à toute personne intéressée par l'histoire des textiles.

This is a well researched work, giving the reader an interesting historical view of thread and fabric as well as human activity from the beginning.

Very interesting read - especially for textile lovers.