The golden thread : how fabric changed history / Kassia St. Clair.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

St. Clair, Kassia, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Textile fabrics.

Physical Description:

xii, 351 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First American edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Liveright Publishing Corporation, a Division of W.W. Norton & Company, 2019.

Summary:

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 woolen 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.

Contents:

Fibers in the cave: the origins of weaving

Dead men's shrouds: wrapping and unwrapping Egyptian mummies

Gifts and horses: silk in ancient China

Cities that silk built: the silk roads

Surf dragons: the Vikings' woolen sails

A king's ransom: wool in medieval England

Diamonds and the ruff: lace and luxury

Solomon's coats: cotton, America, and trade

Layering in extremis: clothing to conquer Everest and the South Pole

Workers in the factory: rayon's dark past

Under pressure: suits suitable for space

Harder, better, faster, stronger: record breaking sports fabrics

The golden cape: harnessing spider silk

Golden threads: a coda.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [299]-335) and index.

ISBN:

9781631494802

1631494805

OCLC:

1100449796