What do you think?
Rate this book
Silk: A World History
In a gorgeous history that spans continents and millennia, Aarathi Prasad weaves together the complex story of the queen of fabrics. Through the scientists who have studied silk, and the biology of the animals from which it has been drawn, Prasad explores the global, natural, and cultural history (and future) of a unique material that has fascinated the world for thousands of years. Silk—prized for its lightness, luminosity, and beauty—is also one of the strongest biological materials ever known. More than a century ago, it was used to make the first bulletproof vest, and yet science has barely even begun to tap its potential. As the technologies it has inspired—from sutures to pharmaceuticals, replacement body parts to holograms—continue to be developed in laboratories around the world, they are now also beginning to offer a desperately needed, sustainable alternative to the plastics choking our planet. Aarathi Prasad’s Silk is a cultural and biological history from the origins and ancient routes of silk to the biologists who learned the secrets of silk-producing animals, manipulating the habitats and physiologies of moths, spiders, and mollusks. Because there is more than one silk, there is more than one story of silk. More than one road, more than one people who discovered it, and wove its threads. From the moths of China, Indonesia, and India to the spiders of South America and Madagascar and the silk-producing mollusks of the Mediterranean, Silk is a book rich in the passionate connections made by people of science to the diversity of the animal world. It is an intoxicating read, a mix of biography and science, that not only brings to life the vast, winding history of silk, but also looks to its future as a resource with incredible, untapped potential.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published April 30, 2024
185 people are currently reading
8534 people want to read
About the author
Aarathi Prasad
6 books35 followersAarathi Prasad was born in London to an Indian mother and a Trinidadian father and was educated in the West Indies and the UK. After a PhD in genetics she worked in research, science policy, and communication. She has presented documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. She is the author of Like A Virgin: How Science is Redesigning the Rules of Sex; and In the Bonesetter’s Waiting Room: travels through Indian Medicine. She works at University College London.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
February 14, 2024
I received an uncorrected e-proof ARC of “Silk: A World History” by Aarathi Prasad from NetGalley and William Morrow/HarpersCollins Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Prasad’s microhistory of silk—from its earliest time to the present—is a fascinating tale and one that many readers will be excited to hear about, particularly people who are interested in textiles, science, and scientific history.
It appears that Prasad modeled this book on Kurlansky’s 2002 “Salt: A World History.” In fact, all one needs to do is to compare both title pages. Like Kurlansky, Prasad arranged this book in three sections (Part One: Moths; Part Two: Silken Shells, Golden Orbs; and Part Three: Reinvention) and used a total of twenty-six chapters. And like Kurlansky, Prasad also avoided the use of in-text citations, footnotes, and endnotes within the text in order to appeal to a general readership. However, there was one main difference between both published microhistories: language.
Prasad’s text is more “scientific” than Kurlansky’s. And when I say that, I’m not being negative. Prasad is an academic and we are trained to write in a certain style and to use particular formats. However, while our training ensures that we can write scholarly articles, get published in prestigious journals, and understand what other scientists are saying (and writing), it often interferes with our abilities to grab the public’s attention.
Fans of Kurlansky’s previous works will notice the difference. Kurlansky gives information in a way that is both easily and quickly absorbed, interspersing data from multiple cultures and eras. Prasad, on the other hand, focuses more on a single subject at a single time—providing more detailed information with a writing style that is more geared towards an educated public. Once again, this isn’t bad, it’s just different. What readers will appreciate about Prasad’s book over Kurlansky’s, though, is that Prasad has credentials; she’s an academic scholar. And it is this scholarship that I admire and trust.
Before reading this book, I had no idea that silk was manufactured from species other than the Bombyx mori silkworm—like other silkworms, mollusks, crustaceans, and even spiders. I was always under the impression that silk was only produced in ancient times in China, but Prasad revealed how silk was actually woven by South American indigenous tribes and Indians, among others.
Prasad wove each of the chapters together seamlessly and she was able to take me, as a reader, on an exciting voyage around the world. While Kurlansky did the same, he focused most of his writing on Western societies, and in particular, Europe and the United States. I believe that Prasad paid far more attention to non-Western societies and non-Western people, which really is a breath of fresh air. And while Kurlansky’s “Salt: A World History” dedicated a single chapter on IIndia—focusing on salt and Gandhi—Prasad was able to take us further back in time to show how wild silk was produced by an ancient civilization.
I definitely recommend this book and do believe that it would, and will, appeal to the legion of Kurlansky fans. However, while Prasad does replicate the format of the book, the writing style is entirely different, so readers should not expect a carbon copy of Kurlansky. Instead, readers will find an extremely informative, reliable, well-written, and fascinating history of silk and silk production around the world that is written by what appears to be a formidable scientist.
It appears that Prasad modeled this book on Kurlansky’s 2002 “Salt: A World History.” In fact, all one needs to do is to compare both title pages. Like Kurlansky, Prasad arranged this book in three sections (Part One: Moths; Part Two: Silken Shells, Golden Orbs; and Part Three: Reinvention) and used a total of twenty-six chapters. And like Kurlansky, Prasad also avoided the use of in-text citations, footnotes, and endnotes within the text in order to appeal to a general readership. However, there was one main difference between both published microhistories: language.
Prasad’s text is more “scientific” than Kurlansky’s. And when I say that, I’m not being negative. Prasad is an academic and we are trained to write in a certain style and to use particular formats. However, while our training ensures that we can write scholarly articles, get published in prestigious journals, and understand what other scientists are saying (and writing), it often interferes with our abilities to grab the public’s attention.
Fans of Kurlansky’s previous works will notice the difference. Kurlansky gives information in a way that is both easily and quickly absorbed, interspersing data from multiple cultures and eras. Prasad, on the other hand, focuses more on a single subject at a single time—providing more detailed information with a writing style that is more geared towards an educated public. Once again, this isn’t bad, it’s just different. What readers will appreciate about Prasad’s book over Kurlansky’s, though, is that Prasad has credentials; she’s an academic scholar. And it is this scholarship that I admire and trust.
Before reading this book, I had no idea that silk was manufactured from species other than the Bombyx mori silkworm—like other silkworms, mollusks, crustaceans, and even spiders. I was always under the impression that silk was only produced in ancient times in China, but Prasad revealed how silk was actually woven by South American indigenous tribes and Indians, among others.
Prasad wove each of the chapters together seamlessly and she was able to take me, as a reader, on an exciting voyage around the world. While Kurlansky did the same, he focused most of his writing on Western societies, and in particular, Europe and the United States. I believe that Prasad paid far more attention to non-Western societies and non-Western people, which really is a breath of fresh air. And while Kurlansky’s “Salt: A World History” dedicated a single chapter on IIndia—focusing on salt and Gandhi—Prasad was able to take us further back in time to show how wild silk was produced by an ancient civilization.
I definitely recommend this book and do believe that it would, and will, appeal to the legion of Kurlansky fans. However, while Prasad does replicate the format of the book, the writing style is entirely different, so readers should not expect a carbon copy of Kurlansky. Instead, readers will find an extremely informative, reliable, well-written, and fascinating history of silk and silk production around the world that is written by what appears to be a formidable scientist.
July 22, 2025
What is Silk?
I have mixed feelings about Aarathi Prasad's Silk: A World History. It belongs to a nonfiction genre I call "history of substances". Notable books in that genre are Amy Butler Greenfield's A Perfect Red, which is about cochineal, the red dye that comes from the cochineal bug, and Sophie D. Coe's The True History of Chocolate.
I loved both of those books -- they were as fascinating as novels. I am sorry to say, though, that Silk was less gripping. By the time I reached the end, I was eager to get there. There was one specific problem and some more general ones.
Cochineal is a very specific thing -- it comes from the cochineal bug and no other source. That made Greenfield's job in A Perfect Red circumscribed. Coe likewise had a well-defined job in describing the history of chocolate -- it's a product of the cocoa tree Theobroma cacao.
Silk is NOT just one thing. Most of the silk you have ever seen is the product of the silkworm moth Bombyx mori. However, other moths and butterflies make silk for their cocoons. For instance, there are wild moths in India whose silk has been collected and woven into fabric by Indian women, including members of Prasad's own family. Thus we hear a lot about these wild silks. Spiders also spin fibers that are called silk, several different kinds, for egg cases and webs. Prasad even claims that the fan mussel Pinna nobilis makes silk. Other animals make fibers, too -- everyone knows about hair, which we call wool when it's woven into fabric. But no one on Earth thinks that wool is a form of silk.
Nowhere in Silk will you find a definition of the word "silk". At about 50% of Silk I looked at the Wikipedia page for silk, hoping to find a definition. I found nothing very useful down that rabbit hole. Silk fibers are made of a protein called fibroin (spidroins in the case of spider silks), but as far as I can figure "fibroin" is basically just defined as the protein of which silk fibers are made. Prasad makes it clear that there is no single chemical description of silk, nor a single evolutionary origin. I'm not saying I doubt that the fibers of the fan mussel are silk, but I do wish that Prasad had clarified her reasons for including it.
Besides this Prasad writes in a flowery style that sacrifices brevity and sometimes clarity. And she often digresses to tell stories about the personal lives of men and women who investigated silk, and about their political environments. Some readers will undoubtedly find all this as fascinating as Prasad herself does.
I know a great deal more about silk now than I did before I read Silk, and that is a good thing. I do not, however, know what exactly silk is, or what Prasad uses the word to mean.
I thank Edelweiss and HarperCollins for an advance reader copy of Silk: A World History. This review expresses my honest opinion.
Blog review.
I have mixed feelings about Aarathi Prasad's Silk: A World History. It belongs to a nonfiction genre I call "history of substances". Notable books in that genre are Amy Butler Greenfield's A Perfect Red, which is about cochineal, the red dye that comes from the cochineal bug, and Sophie D. Coe's The True History of Chocolate.
I loved both of those books -- they were as fascinating as novels. I am sorry to say, though, that Silk was less gripping. By the time I reached the end, I was eager to get there. There was one specific problem and some more general ones.
Cochineal is a very specific thing -- it comes from the cochineal bug and no other source. That made Greenfield's job in A Perfect Red circumscribed. Coe likewise had a well-defined job in describing the history of chocolate -- it's a product of the cocoa tree Theobroma cacao.
Silk is NOT just one thing. Most of the silk you have ever seen is the product of the silkworm moth Bombyx mori. However, other moths and butterflies make silk for their cocoons. For instance, there are wild moths in India whose silk has been collected and woven into fabric by Indian women, including members of Prasad's own family. Thus we hear a lot about these wild silks. Spiders also spin fibers that are called silk, several different kinds, for egg cases and webs. Prasad even claims that the fan mussel Pinna nobilis makes silk. Other animals make fibers, too -- everyone knows about hair, which we call wool when it's woven into fabric. But no one on Earth thinks that wool is a form of silk.
Nowhere in Silk will you find a definition of the word "silk". At about 50% of Silk I looked at the Wikipedia page for silk, hoping to find a definition. I found nothing very useful down that rabbit hole. Silk fibers are made of a protein called fibroin (spidroins in the case of spider silks), but as far as I can figure "fibroin" is basically just defined as the protein of which silk fibers are made. Prasad makes it clear that there is no single chemical description of silk, nor a single evolutionary origin. I'm not saying I doubt that the fibers of the fan mussel are silk, but I do wish that Prasad had clarified her reasons for including it.
Besides this Prasad writes in a flowery style that sacrifices brevity and sometimes clarity. And she often digresses to tell stories about the personal lives of men and women who investigated silk, and about their political environments. Some readers will undoubtedly find all this as fascinating as Prasad herself does.
I know a great deal more about silk now than I did before I read Silk, and that is a good thing. I do not, however, know what exactly silk is, or what Prasad uses the word to mean.
I thank Edelweiss and HarperCollins for an advance reader copy of Silk: A World History. This review expresses my honest opinion.
Blog review.
April 11, 2024
I have mixed feelings about this book. The first part, about the Bombyx mori and other silk moths, I read in one or two sittings, utterly fascinated by the biographies, biologies, and histories that came together into a narrative about how humans have shaped silk production for their own ends. The second section, about different animals that make silk, was also incredibly informative, though lacked the strong, unifying thread that made the first part compulsively readable. The third section, about modern experiments with silk, was disjointed and yet also repetitive. This part also serves as our conclusion, with only one paragraph at the very end joining the entire book together. The book would have perhaps been more successful if the third section was condensed into a single chapter summarizing these technological advances, giving space for some of the unifying themes to have their own, concluding chapter. Throughout the book, we see how humans have consistently struggled to make silk industries economically viable, since, despite everything, nature will do what it wants to do. We see how, even in attempts to make more environmentally sustainable materials, humans have unavoidably harmed these communities of silk-producing animals. I know that maybe what I got out of the book will not be the same as others, but we are truly left with almost no overarching thoughts from the author, so at least something would have been appreciated.
At its best, this book is awe-inspiring, passionate, and emotional. I was actually, physically sad reading about the naturalist who was forcibly removed from his spider collection in Paraguay. The book brings attention to some amazing naturalists throughout history, and, for that reason alone, I would still be glad I read it.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for giving me an early review copy in exchange for my review!
At its best, this book is awe-inspiring, passionate, and emotional. I was actually, physically sad reading about the naturalist who was forcibly removed from his spider collection in Paraguay. The book brings attention to some amazing naturalists throughout history, and, for that reason alone, I would still be glad I read it.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for giving me an early review copy in exchange for my review!
December 17, 2024
I am far from being a nature lover. I like standing on concrete where my chances of getting lime disease or poison ivy is minimal. I like looking at pictures of nature but to interact with it, especially up close, freaks me out a bit - except dogs - love dogs! (I have a friend who loves to walk barefoot in nature, and the mushy unfirm squishy dirt or mud makes my face uncontrollably EW.) So it’s with great surprise that I found myself enjoying this book, especially because I find moths and butterflies to be disgusting (giant insects with giant wings!!!).
There’s a lot of minutiae, and I’m sure I won’t remember most of it, but I got the broad strokes and have learned a few things I didn’t know before - like mollusks and spiders can also spin silk!
Book confirmed once again that humans can be horribly selfish. Apparently, in our quest to commoditize, we are cruel to these little creatures (gross as they are to me!) and in some cases, have caused them to be nearly extinct (author calls them mass mortality events). One “naturalist” was especially sadistic in basically maximizing a spider’s spin by limiting its mobility so that it kept spewing silk until it had nothing left to spin and died (I kept imagining the poor creature being forcibly held open like it was being exsanguinated.) Now I don't think I'll ever want to buy silk again....at least not without a good mental flagellation first 😢
I got a little lost in the end when it started talking about crossbreeding DNA between goats and spiders and spiders and hagfish, but all that said, some of the practical applications can be exciting (if we can source the silk with a bit more integrity, please!), especially biomedically. Other applications include technological, scientific, climate control, and warfare (maybe we can live with less war?).
While reading, I also wondered what Kya Clark, the protagonist from Where the Crawdads Sing, would have thought of this book.
There’s a lot of minutiae, and I’m sure I won’t remember most of it, but I got the broad strokes and have learned a few things I didn’t know before - like mollusks and spiders can also spin silk!
Book confirmed once again that humans can be horribly selfish. Apparently, in our quest to commoditize, we are cruel to these little creatures (gross as they are to me!) and in some cases, have caused them to be nearly extinct (author calls them mass mortality events). One “naturalist” was especially sadistic in basically maximizing a spider’s spin by limiting its mobility so that it kept spewing silk until it had nothing left to spin and died (I kept imagining the poor creature being forcibly held open like it was being exsanguinated.) Now I don't think I'll ever want to buy silk again....at least not without a good mental flagellation first 😢
I got a little lost in the end when it started talking about crossbreeding DNA between goats and spiders and spiders and hagfish, but all that said, some of the practical applications can be exciting (if we can source the silk with a bit more integrity, please!), especially biomedically. Other applications include technological, scientific, climate control, and warfare (maybe we can live with less war?).
While reading, I also wondered what Kya Clark, the protagonist from Where the Crawdads Sing, would have thought of this book.
May 11, 2024
More a history of silkworms and silkworm study & cultivation vs the history of silk as a fabric with a cultural impact...and I was hoping for more of the latter, as I'm not a STEM sort of person. That said, it's very well laid out for the layman biologist.
February 13, 2024
Listen, any author that can write about silk and somehow insert a section on the Gunfight at the OK Corral deserves a lot of credit. Aarathi Prasad's Silk contains many of these anecdotes and, unfortunately, it becomes a problem.
Prasad is writing about silk from a global perspective. This is billed as a cultural and biological history of the material. Prasad has done tremendous research. There is so much in this book to learn about and no stone is left unturned. However, I found myself very detached from the book. I was very confused by this feeling because there is excellent work done in this book, but I realized it never really became a fluid and complete story.
The main issue is that although silk is the subject of the book, Prasad regularly jumps between time periods and characters. There is a lot of dates in this book and it becomes very distracting. Characters will emerge in stories and then might disappear before reappearing chapters later. As a reader, I found myself checking out and searching for the next cool fact even though it felt unconnected from everything else. Ultimately, I learned a lot about the material we call silk, but I can't quite explain what Prasad wanted me to take from this as a theme.
I would not warn anyone away from this book, but I would warn people that you need to be very interested in the topic before diving in.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and William Morrow.)
Prasad is writing about silk from a global perspective. This is billed as a cultural and biological history of the material. Prasad has done tremendous research. There is so much in this book to learn about and no stone is left unturned. However, I found myself very detached from the book. I was very confused by this feeling because there is excellent work done in this book, but I realized it never really became a fluid and complete story.
The main issue is that although silk is the subject of the book, Prasad regularly jumps between time periods and characters. There is a lot of dates in this book and it becomes very distracting. Characters will emerge in stories and then might disappear before reappearing chapters later. As a reader, I found myself checking out and searching for the next cool fact even though it felt unconnected from everything else. Ultimately, I learned a lot about the material we call silk, but I can't quite explain what Prasad wanted me to take from this as a theme.
I would not warn anyone away from this book, but I would warn people that you need to be very interested in the topic before diving in.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and William Morrow.)
March 13, 2024
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
I struggled to maintain interest in this book. The exhaustive detail with which Prasad recounts everything known to man about silkworms, silk-producing mollusks, and spider silk outpaced whatever initial curiosity I had for the subject. I did finish the book, but more out of a sense of obligation than any desire to know more. It's clear that Prasad has assembled a huge amount of research, but I wish large chunks of it had been cut.
The book is also oddly eurocentric given the topic. For a material that is most associated with Asian countries like China, Japan, and India, the history is shown exclusively through the lens of European and American scientists and industrialists. It's just a strange choice.
Several reviews have mentioned the inclusion of the showdown at the OK Corral and Genghis Kahn in the book as highlights of how interesting the history of silk can be. You should know that these are minor entries that do not get mentioned until the final 20% of the book.
I struggled to maintain interest in this book. The exhaustive detail with which Prasad recounts everything known to man about silkworms, silk-producing mollusks, and spider silk outpaced whatever initial curiosity I had for the subject. I did finish the book, but more out of a sense of obligation than any desire to know more. It's clear that Prasad has assembled a huge amount of research, but I wish large chunks of it had been cut.
The book is also oddly eurocentric given the topic. For a material that is most associated with Asian countries like China, Japan, and India, the history is shown exclusively through the lens of European and American scientists and industrialists. It's just a strange choice.
Several reviews have mentioned the inclusion of the showdown at the OK Corral and Genghis Kahn in the book as highlights of how interesting the history of silk can be. You should know that these are minor entries that do not get mentioned until the final 20% of the book.
February 1, 2024
Thanks to Goodreads and William Morrows for the ARC! To preface, I came into this as an arachnologist and silk researcher, so I certainly didn’t approach it as I might when reading a book unrelated to my field.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of non-silk worm content; given the degree to which silk worms have dominated silk historically, I wouldn’t have expected an entire section on other silk-producers.
It’s obviously extremely well researched; I think the author being a biologist (albeit a different field) definitely comes across. I also like the inclusion of numerous historical anecdotes and images. These components really help to avoid it reading as a dense history text.
The reinvention section is the truly speculative area - many of the projects mentioned are definitely further away from success than the average person might think, given the information here.
My only true negative takeaway is that the language seemed a bit stiff. Regardless, I can get past that and still find it to be an enjoyable book that highlights a biomaterial that really is more than the textile people think of it as.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of non-silk worm content; given the degree to which silk worms have dominated silk historically, I wouldn’t have expected an entire section on other silk-producers.
It’s obviously extremely well researched; I think the author being a biologist (albeit a different field) definitely comes across. I also like the inclusion of numerous historical anecdotes and images. These components really help to avoid it reading as a dense history text.
The reinvention section is the truly speculative area - many of the projects mentioned are definitely further away from success than the average person might think, given the information here.
My only true negative takeaway is that the language seemed a bit stiff. Regardless, I can get past that and still find it to be an enjoyable book that highlights a biomaterial that really is more than the textile people think of it as.
March 15, 2024
It's always nice to be surprised, and Silk definitely surprised me in a good way. This is absolutely fascinating reading, and some of it is the subject (who knew you could get silk from spiders or make bulletproof vests out of silk?), but a lot of it is the writing. There are a lot of good stories be told, and Prasad is an expert at giving us what matters while never letting the narrative drag.
(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
June 4, 2024
The rating is entirely my fault, not the author's. I was hoping for something a little bit more historical, and this book was much more geared towards naturalists. I gave up on it 2/3rds of the way through because it wasn't bringing me any value; way too much minutiae on the biology of the topic. I was expecting more history on the global trade or social impact of silk. Again, totally my fault for expecting something this book isn't intended for.
Read
November 22, 2024As someone with a caterpillar phobia, I applaud the silkworkers and scientists who have worked with and studied these crazy little guys for so long. Did not enjoy the illustrations but that's a me problem.
I did really enjoy the sections on spiders!
I did really enjoy the sections on spiders!
May 26, 2024
Good premise and structure, but needed much tighter editing out of extraneous details and names to keep the focus on the topic at hand. Ultimately I ended up skimming a lot looking for parts that were focused on silk and not the huge array of characters.
October 25, 2025
I’m still new to my nonfiction journey and find giving good reviews on it difficult, but this was such a drag for me. I learned a lot and enjoyed the science of the book, but the author did a poor job of balancing that with the tedium of forgotten historical figures and meandering asides about the lives of those involved in the evolution of Silk. Often, I lost track of what the point was because new “characters” were introduced without any context of their significance in detail and the transitions between chapters was extremely lacking. The syntax also drove me crazy— so many long, winding sentences that it was a slog to read, especially in the middle. I enjoyed the ending the most, but even then, I found the “what ifs” posited by the author to be cheap. The whole ‘what if Franz Ferdinand had been wearing silk and hadn’t been killed and 40 million lives could be spared had WWI not happened?!?” was especially tasteless to me. Would have much preferred more about the cultural, economic, and scientific impact of silk on humanity (which is what I thought I had signed up for) rather than whatever this was (waxing poetic about animals that produce silk and the people obsessed with them). Maybe this is a good read for someone, but not for me.
June 17, 2025
No logró ponerle 5 estrellas a este libro por mis expectativas. Entrando al libro asumía que iba a estar un poco más enfocado a la parte cultural. Sin embargo, Prasad se enfoca en la parte científica, técnica y productiva de la seda. Y aunque es un tema un poco tedioso, tiene una narración que ayuda a llevar la historia. Algunas partes demasiado técnicas se pueden hacer un poco pesadas pero no dañan el libro para nada. La parte final se extiende en el uso científico de la seda en el mundo contemporaneo. Esta es mi parte favorita del libro, es muy interesante, y en parte turbio, ver todo lo que se hace o puede hacer o se intenta hacer con la seda en la actualidad. Me gusta que trata de llegar hasta los desarrollos más recientes, de hecho terminé el libro directo a revisar algunos artículos académicos sobre la seda. Es un tema de considerable interés. En general, es un libro muy difícil de recomendar, para alguien que aprecie la ciencia y la parte investigativa de la academia, este libro puede gustar. Para alguien interesado en la parte más cultural y sociológica, recomendaría otra aproximación
February 5, 2025
adequate book
September 9, 2025
I really enjoyed the tombstone chapter but I wish it went more on depth on the silk producing aquatic species
August 5, 2024
This is a fascinating look at the history of silk production. Loved reading about how far back people have been using silk and the theories of how far back Bombyx mori was domesticated to make silk.
August 12, 2024
This book is like moonshine, you have to distill it a great deal before it’s any good, and it might kill you if you drink too deeply from the head or the tail.
One is immediately blindsided by a lack of structure or thesis, but, if you have great patience, you will eventually discover that you are reading a history of the scientific study of silk, and the scientific study of silk alone. You might expect, for example, the Silk Road to be mentioned in a ‘World History’ of silk, but there is, in fact, no serious discussion of the historical impact and cultural meaning of silk, its production, or its use in clothing. If it were called ‘Silk: A Natural Wonder’ some of these criticisms would melt away. Alas, it isn’t and they don’t. The book merely technically lives up to its title because European natural science required trips abroad. And off we go to explore assorted silks through sketches of natural historians and others.
The first section braids nineteenth century silk science with a patriotic diatribe on how the popular and widely cultivated Chinese mulberry silk has unfairly obscured Indian tussar silk in global markets. The history of science has wonderful anecdotes and illustrations, but the diatribe is frustratingly poorly thought out. It gets at the heart of the issue, so let us clear away Prasad’s few random supporting claims—wild moths promote genetic diversity, etc.—and address this question head on.
Why has the popular and widely cultivated Chinese mulberry silk (from the bombyx mori moth) completely eclipsed Indian tussar silk (from the wild antheraea moths) in global markets?
What is needed is historical thinking. First, a discussion of context; we must establish the facts. Has Indian silk actually been used less? Was it always used less? Was and is it exported to places other than Europe? Did Malaysians use Chinese or Indian silk in the sixteenth century? At what latitude can mulberry trees be grown? Can this supposed cultural affront be merely due to climate? No, it turns out that antheraea moths eat oak (which has a similar range to mulberry). That fact ought to be in the book! Why is tussar silk expensive? Why is contemporary tussar silk still made with hand looms? and so on. This last question almost bleeds into the next step of analysis, culture. What is silk culture in India like? What is silk culture in China like? What is silk culture in Europe like? How have these cultures spread, mingled, depended on, and influenced each other? A discussion of culture would allow Prasad to celebrate her Indian heritage, to explain the supposed injustice, and, best of all, it would actually make this book a ‘World History’.
Prasad turns to the rare silk-like hair of the pinna nobilis mollusk. This section discusses current historical research into ancient Mediterranean textiles, the use of pinna silk in haute couture, and how a mysterious ‘mass mortality event’ in 2016 affected cultural revivalists. This section provides encyclopedic discussion about something which is not silk.
We rewind to 1710 to recapitulate the failures of scientists to mass produce spider silks, and the history of natural history declines in quality as Prasad descends into increasingly speculative technobabble. “Our phones might be crafted from silk implantables embedded with sensors and become part of our bodies.” she writes with complete sincerity. Despite Prasad’s faith and interest in research science, there is no mention of the triumphant scientific development of rayon and synthetic silks.
The great historian Daniel Boorstin has said “While knowledge is orderly and cumulative, information is random and miscellaneous.” Prasad either cannot comprehend this distinction does not respect the reader enough to make it.
One is immediately blindsided by a lack of structure or thesis, but, if you have great patience, you will eventually discover that you are reading a history of the scientific study of silk, and the scientific study of silk alone. You might expect, for example, the Silk Road to be mentioned in a ‘World History’ of silk, but there is, in fact, no serious discussion of the historical impact and cultural meaning of silk, its production, or its use in clothing. If it were called ‘Silk: A Natural Wonder’ some of these criticisms would melt away. Alas, it isn’t and they don’t. The book merely technically lives up to its title because European natural science required trips abroad. And off we go to explore assorted silks through sketches of natural historians and others.
The first section braids nineteenth century silk science with a patriotic diatribe on how the popular and widely cultivated Chinese mulberry silk has unfairly obscured Indian tussar silk in global markets. The history of science has wonderful anecdotes and illustrations, but the diatribe is frustratingly poorly thought out. It gets at the heart of the issue, so let us clear away Prasad’s few random supporting claims—wild moths promote genetic diversity, etc.—and address this question head on.
Why has the popular and widely cultivated Chinese mulberry silk (from the bombyx mori moth) completely eclipsed Indian tussar silk (from the wild antheraea moths) in global markets?
What is needed is historical thinking. First, a discussion of context; we must establish the facts. Has Indian silk actually been used less? Was it always used less? Was and is it exported to places other than Europe? Did Malaysians use Chinese or Indian silk in the sixteenth century? At what latitude can mulberry trees be grown? Can this supposed cultural affront be merely due to climate? No, it turns out that antheraea moths eat oak (which has a similar range to mulberry). That fact ought to be in the book! Why is tussar silk expensive? Why is contemporary tussar silk still made with hand looms? and so on. This last question almost bleeds into the next step of analysis, culture. What is silk culture in India like? What is silk culture in China like? What is silk culture in Europe like? How have these cultures spread, mingled, depended on, and influenced each other? A discussion of culture would allow Prasad to celebrate her Indian heritage, to explain the supposed injustice, and, best of all, it would actually make this book a ‘World History’.
Prasad turns to the rare silk-like hair of the pinna nobilis mollusk. This section discusses current historical research into ancient Mediterranean textiles, the use of pinna silk in haute couture, and how a mysterious ‘mass mortality event’ in 2016 affected cultural revivalists. This section provides encyclopedic discussion about something which is not silk.
We rewind to 1710 to recapitulate the failures of scientists to mass produce spider silks, and the history of natural history declines in quality as Prasad descends into increasingly speculative technobabble. “Our phones might be crafted from silk implantables embedded with sensors and become part of our bodies.” she writes with complete sincerity. Despite Prasad’s faith and interest in research science, there is no mention of the triumphant scientific development of rayon and synthetic silks.
The great historian Daniel Boorstin has said “While knowledge is orderly and cumulative, information is random and miscellaneous.” Prasad either cannot comprehend this distinction does not respect the reader enough to make it.
May 21, 2024
For a non fiction book, this was pretty interesting. I did zone out at times, but overall it was informative, I learned new things and and it read a little like a text book but WAY more fascinating! Lol
Especially loved the part about bullet proof cloth, and learning about the Sea silk and how a whole group of people used silk in an area later believed no one had used silk. There was the whole historic mystery of why they stopped using it 🙊
Then there were the spiders! And how people have worked to learn to dye these threads.
All very good stuff. I even had arguments with my sister about what is and isn't considered "real silk" lol
So yeah, while I did lose focus on some parts, what I did retain really interested me and so I think it deserves 4 stars if not 5.
Definitely worth a look if you're into history, fashion, or textiles 👍
Especially loved the part about bullet proof cloth, and learning about the Sea silk and how a whole group of people used silk in an area later believed no one had used silk. There was the whole historic mystery of why they stopped using it 🙊
Then there were the spiders! And how people have worked to learn to dye these threads.
All very good stuff. I even had arguments with my sister about what is and isn't considered "real silk" lol
So yeah, while I did lose focus on some parts, what I did retain really interested me and so I think it deserves 4 stars if not 5.
Definitely worth a look if you're into history, fashion, or textiles 👍
April 30, 2024
Known as one of the strongest organic materials produced, silk has long been used by humans for a variety of purposes. In Silk: A World History Aarathi Prasad delves into this long history, through archeological discoveries, the work of scientists and naturalists and highlights of success and failures in commodifying silks.
Silk is divided in to three sections. The first, and longest, focuses on silk from moths globally. An important revelation is that the oldest discovered human silk artifacts are from Indian. From their this section focuses primarily on the cultural and scientific aspects, there is some detailing of the historically importance of the Silk Road, but much more of a focus on how different peoples bred silkworms and harvested them for a variety of purposes obvious such as clothing and fertilizer to less well known uses such as food flavoring, dyes or traditional medicine. Prasad details the lives and works of naturalists from the 1600s to 1800s who traveled the world looking for caterpillars and moths as they captured samples or depicted them through art. It was a risky undertaking, in some cases leading to death, blindness or illness. It was also an implicit part of colonialism, the search for these insects sometimes an expansion from general explorations or key discoveries or understandings gained from natives left unacknowledged or credited.
Section two details two other natural types of silk: sea silk from mollusks and spider silk. Sea silk looks mostly at the Mediterranean world, with it being so difficult to acquire or create cloth that it was a rare commodity typically only enjoyed by emperors or royalty. Sea silk now faces near extinction due to climate change. The spider silk section is the most engaging, full of both humor and possibility. Many of the personalities detailed note their difficulties of gathering sufficient spiders without them eating each other, producing adequate amounts of spider silk or the various tests they put the silk through to prove its strength. None of them found a way to make things commercially viable, but some did create clothing or household goods. The spiders also show the importance of record keeping and access to information as some of those working with spiders discovered the work of their antecedents later in there work, finding that they had not discovered a new path, but a time delayed parallel invention.
The final section looks at silk through its promise as a material to be used in healthcare, a sustainable replacement for plastics or its historic use as a material of personal protection. The latter looks at bullet proof vests or even the use of silk shirts by the Mongols. For healthcare, the possibilities offer flashes of the potential near future, with silk as a delivery system for medicines, framework for rebuilding or modifying body parts, or even just emplacing everyday technologies in our bodies.
Silk is a deep but accessible microhistory, succeeding the genre's goals of taking a single object of focus and delineating its development and usage, cultural past, present research and future possibilities.
Recommended for readers interested: in wonders of natures, microhistories, human creativity or cultural histories.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
Silk is divided in to three sections. The first, and longest, focuses on silk from moths globally. An important revelation is that the oldest discovered human silk artifacts are from Indian. From their this section focuses primarily on the cultural and scientific aspects, there is some detailing of the historically importance of the Silk Road, but much more of a focus on how different peoples bred silkworms and harvested them for a variety of purposes obvious such as clothing and fertilizer to less well known uses such as food flavoring, dyes or traditional medicine. Prasad details the lives and works of naturalists from the 1600s to 1800s who traveled the world looking for caterpillars and moths as they captured samples or depicted them through art. It was a risky undertaking, in some cases leading to death, blindness or illness. It was also an implicit part of colonialism, the search for these insects sometimes an expansion from general explorations or key discoveries or understandings gained from natives left unacknowledged or credited.
Section two details two other natural types of silk: sea silk from mollusks and spider silk. Sea silk looks mostly at the Mediterranean world, with it being so difficult to acquire or create cloth that it was a rare commodity typically only enjoyed by emperors or royalty. Sea silk now faces near extinction due to climate change. The spider silk section is the most engaging, full of both humor and possibility. Many of the personalities detailed note their difficulties of gathering sufficient spiders without them eating each other, producing adequate amounts of spider silk or the various tests they put the silk through to prove its strength. None of them found a way to make things commercially viable, but some did create clothing or household goods. The spiders also show the importance of record keeping and access to information as some of those working with spiders discovered the work of their antecedents later in there work, finding that they had not discovered a new path, but a time delayed parallel invention.
The final section looks at silk through its promise as a material to be used in healthcare, a sustainable replacement for plastics or its historic use as a material of personal protection. The latter looks at bullet proof vests or even the use of silk shirts by the Mongols. For healthcare, the possibilities offer flashes of the potential near future, with silk as a delivery system for medicines, framework for rebuilding or modifying body parts, or even just emplacing everyday technologies in our bodies.
Silk is a deep but accessible microhistory, succeeding the genre's goals of taking a single object of focus and delineating its development and usage, cultural past, present research and future possibilities.
Recommended for readers interested: in wonders of natures, microhistories, human creativity or cultural histories.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
May 1, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an Advanced Reader Copy - pub date 4/30/2024. A very much so non-fiction book about exactly what the title says but more, this book covers not just the history of the glorious fabric, silk, but also the history of the creatures who make it and the people who have studied it and worked with it and obsessed over it. It is thorough in a way that astounds and goes to lengths I had not expected. Honestly, picking up the book, I expected something simply along the lines of the silk trade/Silk Roads and uses of the fabric. Not so much. Prasad goes much further - not only covering the social history but also the biology and the economy and the variety of silks that have existed and continue to exist in this world.
From ancient cities and fossils to modern medical uses and "spider goats," Prasad takes her time and gives equal weight to each section of the umbrella concept of silk. The bulk of the book breaks down into the three main silk-producing creatures - the varieties of silkworms/caterpillars from all over the world, the various mollusks that create fibrous anchors that become "seasilk" (in particular the very endangered pen shell), and the wide range of spiders. Environments, the ways the products differ and compare, the history of use and cultivation - nothing escapes her searching eye. This can make it a bit heavy in places and it is certainly not a quick read but it is more than worth it if you have any interest in the way humans and nature and art and manufacturing intersect. Unlike things like linen and cotton, silk has always had its own mystique and allure. Discovering more about the history and construction of it only makes it more wonderous. Seriously. How many of us, as children, would make faces and go ewww when thinking about stuff coming out of worm and spider butts? But then go on to grow up and pay through the nose for a scarf made by that very stuff? It defies belief.
Plus some of the personalities who enter the stories of these creatures and the production of silk are just as wild and strange as any giant spider or little worm. You have the dabblers, the generalists... Then you have people like Italo Diana who was so darn into the traditional art of making sea-silk that he opened an actual school in his home to spread the knowledge? Or Termeyer who was downright obsessed with his little spider buddies that he would regularly surround himself with thousands of them while working out how to turn their silk into usable threads? Then there are the current scientists who now can play with genes and electron microscopes and chemical compositions.
As I said, this is not a light, fluffy read but it is also not impenetrable. There is a lot that is human as well as failure and success in the story of silk. It is something worth learning about - if only to make you appreciate things that were and could be. After all, silk and the current research around it might just help solve some of our plastic mess and wouldn't that be the most elegant thing ever?
From ancient cities and fossils to modern medical uses and "spider goats," Prasad takes her time and gives equal weight to each section of the umbrella concept of silk. The bulk of the book breaks down into the three main silk-producing creatures - the varieties of silkworms/caterpillars from all over the world, the various mollusks that create fibrous anchors that become "seasilk" (in particular the very endangered pen shell), and the wide range of spiders. Environments, the ways the products differ and compare, the history of use and cultivation - nothing escapes her searching eye. This can make it a bit heavy in places and it is certainly not a quick read but it is more than worth it if you have any interest in the way humans and nature and art and manufacturing intersect. Unlike things like linen and cotton, silk has always had its own mystique and allure. Discovering more about the history and construction of it only makes it more wonderous. Seriously. How many of us, as children, would make faces and go ewww when thinking about stuff coming out of worm and spider butts? But then go on to grow up and pay through the nose for a scarf made by that very stuff? It defies belief.
Plus some of the personalities who enter the stories of these creatures and the production of silk are just as wild and strange as any giant spider or little worm. You have the dabblers, the generalists... Then you have people like Italo Diana who was so darn into the traditional art of making sea-silk that he opened an actual school in his home to spread the knowledge? Or Termeyer who was downright obsessed with his little spider buddies that he would regularly surround himself with thousands of them while working out how to turn their silk into usable threads? Then there are the current scientists who now can play with genes and electron microscopes and chemical compositions.
As I said, this is not a light, fluffy read but it is also not impenetrable. There is a lot that is human as well as failure and success in the story of silk. It is something worth learning about - if only to make you appreciate things that were and could be. After all, silk and the current research around it might just help solve some of our plastic mess and wouldn't that be the most elegant thing ever?
Read
April 26, 2025Book Review: Silk: A World History by Aarathi Prasad
Aarathi Prasad’s Silk: A World History is a masterful exploration of one of humanity’s most coveted and transformative materials. Blending science, history, and cultural anthropology, Prasad traces silk’s extraordinary journey—from its ancient origins in China to its role as a global commodity that shaped empires, economies, and even biological evolution.
A Tapestry of Science and Storytelling
Prasad, a molecular geneticist by training, brings a unique lens to silk’s history, delving into the biological marvel of its production. She unravels the secrets of silkworms and spiders, revealing how their intricate fibers inspired both myth and innovation. The book excels in explaining the molecular ingenuity behind silk’s strength and versatility, making complex science accessible without sacrificing depth.
Silk as a Cultural Catalyst
Beyond its biological wonders, Prasad vividly portrays silk as a cultural force. She charts its spread along the Silk Road, where it became a currency of diplomacy and a symbol of status, linking distant civilizations from Rome to Japan. The narrative captures silk’s paradoxical roles—prized by medieval European royalty, yet also fueling espionage and industrial espionage as nations vied for control of its production.
Unexpected Threads
What sets this book apart is its exploration of silk’s lesser-known chapters. Prasad highlights its surprising modern applications, from medical sutures to bulletproof vests, and even its potential in space exploration. She also examines the human cost behind silk’s glamour, including the labor of countless unnamed artisans and the environmental impacts of sericulture.
A Global Perspective
While many histories focus narrowly on silk’s Eastern origins, Prasad adopts a truly global scope. She examines how African and Indigenous cultures engaged with silk, challenging Eurocentric narratives. Her writing is both lyrical and precise, weaving together anecdotes—like Cleopatra’s legendary silk-clad sails—with broader historical currents.
Critique and Resonance
At times, the book’s ambitious scope can feel overwhelming, with rapid shifts between eras and disciplines. However, this breadth is also its strength, offering something for every reader—whether fascinated by ancient trade routes, textile arts, or cutting-edge biomaterials.
Final Thoughts
Silk: A World History is as luminous and multifaceted as its subject. Prasad’s work is not just a chronicle of a fabric but a meditation on how human ingenuity transforms nature into culture. For historians, scientists, or anyone captivated by the threads that connect civilizations, this book is an engrossing and enlightening read.
Verdict: A rich, interdisciplinary triumph—perfect for fans of Mark Kurlansky’s Salt or Peter Frankopan’s The Silk Roads.
Aarathi Prasad’s Silk: A World History is a masterful exploration of one of humanity’s most coveted and transformative materials. Blending science, history, and cultural anthropology, Prasad traces silk’s extraordinary journey—from its ancient origins in China to its role as a global commodity that shaped empires, economies, and even biological evolution.
A Tapestry of Science and Storytelling
Prasad, a molecular geneticist by training, brings a unique lens to silk’s history, delving into the biological marvel of its production. She unravels the secrets of silkworms and spiders, revealing how their intricate fibers inspired both myth and innovation. The book excels in explaining the molecular ingenuity behind silk’s strength and versatility, making complex science accessible without sacrificing depth.
Silk as a Cultural Catalyst
Beyond its biological wonders, Prasad vividly portrays silk as a cultural force. She charts its spread along the Silk Road, where it became a currency of diplomacy and a symbol of status, linking distant civilizations from Rome to Japan. The narrative captures silk’s paradoxical roles—prized by medieval European royalty, yet also fueling espionage and industrial espionage as nations vied for control of its production.
Unexpected Threads
What sets this book apart is its exploration of silk’s lesser-known chapters. Prasad highlights its surprising modern applications, from medical sutures to bulletproof vests, and even its potential in space exploration. She also examines the human cost behind silk’s glamour, including the labor of countless unnamed artisans and the environmental impacts of sericulture.
A Global Perspective
While many histories focus narrowly on silk’s Eastern origins, Prasad adopts a truly global scope. She examines how African and Indigenous cultures engaged with silk, challenging Eurocentric narratives. Her writing is both lyrical and precise, weaving together anecdotes—like Cleopatra’s legendary silk-clad sails—with broader historical currents.
Critique and Resonance
At times, the book’s ambitious scope can feel overwhelming, with rapid shifts between eras and disciplines. However, this breadth is also its strength, offering something for every reader—whether fascinated by ancient trade routes, textile arts, or cutting-edge biomaterials.
Final Thoughts
Silk: A World History is as luminous and multifaceted as its subject. Prasad’s work is not just a chronicle of a fabric but a meditation on how human ingenuity transforms nature into culture. For historians, scientists, or anyone captivated by the threads that connect civilizations, this book is an engrossing and enlightening read.
Verdict: A rich, interdisciplinary triumph—perfect for fans of Mark Kurlansky’s Salt or Peter Frankopan’s The Silk Roads.
April 26, 2024
Personally, this was just not my cup of tea. I believe in the giveaway postings it was listed as art, but should have been science. Anyone such as an entomologist would love this book. I made it thru a little less than halfway before I gave up. I was expecting beautiful pictures of various silks and items made from silk, but what it basically covers are the different types of moths and the type of silk they make. It covers moths from all over the world, their life cycles and the types of silk threads used for cocoons. Again not my cup of tea, but good for entomology study.
January 27, 2025
Silk: A World History is a nonfiction book about the silken threads that insects and arachnoids and mollusks produce, and how humans have tried to repurpose these threads into materials for their own use. Bookpage gave Silk a starred review, so when I saw it on the New Book shelf at the library, I checked it out.
Silkworms were first domesticated by Neolithic Chinese farmers thousands of years ago (they are the first domesticated insect). The farmed silkworms now grow cocoons that contain three times as many fibers as the cocoons spun by wild moths. The domesticated cocoons are so thick that the worms cannot escape on their own, they require human intervention to free them so that they can reproduce. Of course, most of the silkworms are destined to be boiled and dried without ever leaving their cocoons. They are sun dried, and then the fibers unwound, spun into threads, and woven into marvelous silk fabrics.
I did not realize how far silkworms had spread, and how long ago in history. It wasn't just the orient that grew silkworms. Renaissance Europe had groves of mulberry trees full of silkworms in France and Italy.
The Dutch had a colony in South America called Surinam. Although the primary wealth from this outpost was from sugar plantations, huge New World moths were discovered that yield intriguing silk threads. The description of the cruelty and barbarity of the ruthless Dutch colonizers in Surinam is eye opening. The brutal Dutch slavers thought to deter escape by severely punishing anyone who was caught fleeing slavery - the Dutch roasted people alive, decapitated them, had them drawn and quartered, and old men broken on the rack - any cruel torture, and apparently the Dutch used it. I had never even heard of this awful colony before.
My favorite discovery in this book is that the "eye dots" on moths wings are carefully evolved structures. The eye dots have scales that vibrate at certain frequencies, absorbing soundwaves at particular wavelengths. Also, the moths are covered in tiny, fine hairs that absorb and convert sound waves into heat energy. These moth structures dampened energy at the frequency ranges used by bats trying to echo-locate their prey. Many moths fly at night, which is when bats hunt. These evolutionary innovations help moths disappear from the soundscape that bats construct with their vocalizations.
In addition to the many different species of cocoon-spinning moths, there are mollusks that live in the Mediterranean Sea that extrude long fibers into the rocky floor to anchor themselves upright at the bottom of the sea. Humans harvesting these mollusks found that those anchoring threads could be woven into a wonderful silken material. Unfortunately, it took many mollusks to yield enough fibers to make even small garments like gloves and socks. Now the mollusks are near extinction, suffering for virus spreading through the warming waters of the Mediterranean, and stressed by pollution and other human activities.
Spiders also produce high quality silk fibers. There have been a number of attempts to utilized spider silks, but so far it has proven impossible to scale up to industrial levels of production. Spider silk is strong and resilient, and contains proteins that aid in healing. Bandages woven from spider silk give a boost to healing wounds.
The strength of silk fabrics was noticed long ago. The Mongols wore silk shirts under their lightweight armor. Although arrow shafts could punch deep into the body, the silk itself did not get split, and sometimes it was possible to extract the arrowhead simply by pulling the unbroken silk fabric out of the wound. Later, the toughness of silk was noticed with respect to bullet wounds - sometimes the bullet could be extracted by pulling the silk garment out of the bullet hole. This lead to the invention of bullet proof vests. The inventor of the first bullet proof vests offered one to the White House, but the press secretary turned down the offer. A short time later, President died from a gunshot fired by an assassin. Had he worn the vest, he would have survived the attack.
The tough silk fibers are also woven into parachutes.
The end of the book describes the potential uses of silk, if only scientists could perfect the creation of silk to match what the silkworms and spiders can make. Our world is littered with microplastics. Silks could be used instead for many of the products that currently employ plastics. But silks are organic, and will degrade into harmless components that do not harm the environment.
Overall, this book tells the reader just about everything you might wish to know about silk. The author has done an amazing amount of research, seemingly uncovering many forgotten scientists and entrepreneurs who have attempted to make silks profitable.
Silkworms were first domesticated by Neolithic Chinese farmers thousands of years ago (they are the first domesticated insect). The farmed silkworms now grow cocoons that contain three times as many fibers as the cocoons spun by wild moths. The domesticated cocoons are so thick that the worms cannot escape on their own, they require human intervention to free them so that they can reproduce. Of course, most of the silkworms are destined to be boiled and dried without ever leaving their cocoons. They are sun dried, and then the fibers unwound, spun into threads, and woven into marvelous silk fabrics.
I did not realize how far silkworms had spread, and how long ago in history. It wasn't just the orient that grew silkworms. Renaissance Europe had groves of mulberry trees full of silkworms in France and Italy.
The Dutch had a colony in South America called Surinam. Although the primary wealth from this outpost was from sugar plantations, huge New World moths were discovered that yield intriguing silk threads. The description of the cruelty and barbarity of the ruthless Dutch colonizers in Surinam is eye opening. The brutal Dutch slavers thought to deter escape by severely punishing anyone who was caught fleeing slavery - the Dutch roasted people alive, decapitated them, had them drawn and quartered, and old men broken on the rack - any cruel torture, and apparently the Dutch used it. I had never even heard of this awful colony before.
My favorite discovery in this book is that the "eye dots" on moths wings are carefully evolved structures. The eye dots have scales that vibrate at certain frequencies, absorbing soundwaves at particular wavelengths. Also, the moths are covered in tiny, fine hairs that absorb and convert sound waves into heat energy. These moth structures dampened energy at the frequency ranges used by bats trying to echo-locate their prey. Many moths fly at night, which is when bats hunt. These evolutionary innovations help moths disappear from the soundscape that bats construct with their vocalizations.
In addition to the many different species of cocoon-spinning moths, there are mollusks that live in the Mediterranean Sea that extrude long fibers into the rocky floor to anchor themselves upright at the bottom of the sea. Humans harvesting these mollusks found that those anchoring threads could be woven into a wonderful silken material. Unfortunately, it took many mollusks to yield enough fibers to make even small garments like gloves and socks. Now the mollusks are near extinction, suffering for virus spreading through the warming waters of the Mediterranean, and stressed by pollution and other human activities.
Spiders also produce high quality silk fibers. There have been a number of attempts to utilized spider silks, but so far it has proven impossible to scale up to industrial levels of production. Spider silk is strong and resilient, and contains proteins that aid in healing. Bandages woven from spider silk give a boost to healing wounds.
The strength of silk fabrics was noticed long ago. The Mongols wore silk shirts under their lightweight armor. Although arrow shafts could punch deep into the body, the silk itself did not get split, and sometimes it was possible to extract the arrowhead simply by pulling the unbroken silk fabric out of the wound. Later, the toughness of silk was noticed with respect to bullet wounds - sometimes the bullet could be extracted by pulling the silk garment out of the bullet hole. This lead to the invention of bullet proof vests. The inventor of the first bullet proof vests offered one to the White House, but the press secretary turned down the offer. A short time later, President died from a gunshot fired by an assassin. Had he worn the vest, he would have survived the attack.
The tough silk fibers are also woven into parachutes.
The end of the book describes the potential uses of silk, if only scientists could perfect the creation of silk to match what the silkworms and spiders can make. Our world is littered with microplastics. Silks could be used instead for many of the products that currently employ plastics. But silks are organic, and will degrade into harmless components that do not harm the environment.
Overall, this book tells the reader just about everything you might wish to know about silk. The author has done an amazing amount of research, seemingly uncovering many forgotten scientists and entrepreneurs who have attempted to make silks profitable.
February 29, 2024
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher William Morrow for an advance copy of the this new book on a history of a fiber that has captivated, and held many in its web, and one that still has the ability to both stun in fashion, and fascinate for the innovations that are still being discovered.
As a person who enjoys both science fiction and history I have always been annoyed by shows that talk about great strides humans made in the past, and how they must of had hope help from aliens in someway. How could primitive humans build this, how could primitive humans create that? What made people think a small creature could make a material that could be made into clothing? Granted a look at our political landscape, and a few minutes on social media will make most people think we are the dumbest generation. This intellectual curiosity sprung in many ways from need. Today we flick a swith to turn on a light, or to give us heat. Clothing comes from a touchscreen, ordered will sitting on the couch. Human survival once depended on skills and crafts. That and the fact that even our ancestors liked nice things. Silk: A World History, is a story about the making of nice things, how silk was cultivated, the uses ideas and many of the odd people and circumstances that draw people to silks carefully threaded together in this book by Aarathi Prasad.
Silk is a fascinating construct, one of the strongest biological materials constructed. Prasad begins the book with her own tales of working with silk, seeing the dresses made by her mother and aunts. Prasad was also able to get some silkworms of her own, fed them with mulberry leaves and watch as they turned into moths. Prasad looks at some of the people involved in early studies of the silkworm, of a woman who had wealth and the ability to paint nature and her own explorations into silkworms, and the Vatican scholar who spent most of his life determining how silkworms work. Prasad looks at the early cultivators in the East, and how other people in far different countries were able to cultivate different animals for their own silk manufacturing. Silk appears in quite a few different historical situations from assassinations to famous gunfights, and even now humans are still finding new uses for silk in the medical field.
A book that one would expect to quite simple, but one that really travels time, space human ingenuity, and the wonder of nature. There is a lot about science, biology, even the history of science, but there is also a lot of tales of thinkers, odd fellows and odd ladies, and new views of history. The science might seem alot, but Prasad is a very good writer and is able to parse it all in such a way that everything makes sense. The biology, the anatomy might seem odd, but one understands at the again. Prasad also has an interesting style, a literate style especially in dealing with these silk devotees. Slightly removed, but with a style that really keeps the reader interested. The book does not have a chronological structure, approaching different themes, historical events, and then spinning off in different directions the next chapter.
A very interesting science book, and one that I learned quite a lot from about different subjects. One I think quite a lot of people will also want to wrap themselves in.
As a person who enjoys both science fiction and history I have always been annoyed by shows that talk about great strides humans made in the past, and how they must of had hope help from aliens in someway. How could primitive humans build this, how could primitive humans create that? What made people think a small creature could make a material that could be made into clothing? Granted a look at our political landscape, and a few minutes on social media will make most people think we are the dumbest generation. This intellectual curiosity sprung in many ways from need. Today we flick a swith to turn on a light, or to give us heat. Clothing comes from a touchscreen, ordered will sitting on the couch. Human survival once depended on skills and crafts. That and the fact that even our ancestors liked nice things. Silk: A World History, is a story about the making of nice things, how silk was cultivated, the uses ideas and many of the odd people and circumstances that draw people to silks carefully threaded together in this book by Aarathi Prasad.
Silk is a fascinating construct, one of the strongest biological materials constructed. Prasad begins the book with her own tales of working with silk, seeing the dresses made by her mother and aunts. Prasad was also able to get some silkworms of her own, fed them with mulberry leaves and watch as they turned into moths. Prasad looks at some of the people involved in early studies of the silkworm, of a woman who had wealth and the ability to paint nature and her own explorations into silkworms, and the Vatican scholar who spent most of his life determining how silkworms work. Prasad looks at the early cultivators in the East, and how other people in far different countries were able to cultivate different animals for their own silk manufacturing. Silk appears in quite a few different historical situations from assassinations to famous gunfights, and even now humans are still finding new uses for silk in the medical field.
A book that one would expect to quite simple, but one that really travels time, space human ingenuity, and the wonder of nature. There is a lot about science, biology, even the history of science, but there is also a lot of tales of thinkers, odd fellows and odd ladies, and new views of history. The science might seem alot, but Prasad is a very good writer and is able to parse it all in such a way that everything makes sense. The biology, the anatomy might seem odd, but one understands at the again. Prasad also has an interesting style, a literate style especially in dealing with these silk devotees. Slightly removed, but with a style that really keeps the reader interested. The book does not have a chronological structure, approaching different themes, historical events, and then spinning off in different directions the next chapter.
A very interesting science book, and one that I learned quite a lot from about different subjects. One I think quite a lot of people will also want to wrap themselves in.
May 15, 2024
What an absolutely fascinating book. Biologist Aarathi Prasad traces the origins of silk from ancient China to today - and it is a much more complex and interesting story than I ever could have imagined. Like many, the most I knew about silk is that it is produced by silk moths and was so prized that the Eurasian trade network from the 2nd century BCE until the 1500s was called the Silk Road. What I didn’t know is that there are many kinds of silkworms, all of which originated in different places, are harvested in different ways, and have different properties. I also didn’t know about silk harvested from spiders, and I most certainly didn’t know that there are scientists around the world experimenting with ways to use spider silk (or materials with similar properties) for medical, sports, military, household and other applications.
Throughout the book, I was fascinated by, and a little concerned about, harvesting methods, which ranged from passively collecting and drying used cocoons to restraining spiders and tickling their tummies to get them to release their web silk (this method seems fairly labor intensive to me, and not a little disgusting). The number of silk worms and spiders needed to produce the amount of silk needed for even one garment is astounding, and it’s no secret why the woven cloth has been so precious. But the good news is that scientists are not only seeking ways to produce silk in greater quantities, but to do it in a sustainable way that allows the insects to proceed with their life cycle after harvesting. They are also working on re-creating some of the properties of spider silk in particular, using mushrooms and other plant life which will be kinder to the planet..
In the near future, according to the author, we may be able to replace many of the items which currently require plastic with silk products. This includes cornea replacements, micro thin needles which do not puncture the skin, fabric which is thin and light but can withstand even military uses, and much more. I was amazed by the description of a scientist who discovered a way to “impregnate” spider silk into the top of a violin, allowing the acoustic of the instrument to be personalized for each user.
Although the research required to put together this information was immense, Prasad writes in an accessible style that does not talk down to the reader but allows us to understand and enjoy throughout. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Throughout the book, I was fascinated by, and a little concerned about, harvesting methods, which ranged from passively collecting and drying used cocoons to restraining spiders and tickling their tummies to get them to release their web silk (this method seems fairly labor intensive to me, and not a little disgusting). The number of silk worms and spiders needed to produce the amount of silk needed for even one garment is astounding, and it’s no secret why the woven cloth has been so precious. But the good news is that scientists are not only seeking ways to produce silk in greater quantities, but to do it in a sustainable way that allows the insects to proceed with their life cycle after harvesting. They are also working on re-creating some of the properties of spider silk in particular, using mushrooms and other plant life which will be kinder to the planet..
In the near future, according to the author, we may be able to replace many of the items which currently require plastic with silk products. This includes cornea replacements, micro thin needles which do not puncture the skin, fabric which is thin and light but can withstand even military uses, and much more. I was amazed by the description of a scientist who discovered a way to “impregnate” spider silk into the top of a violin, allowing the acoustic of the instrument to be personalized for each user.
Although the research required to put together this information was immense, Prasad writes in an accessible style that does not talk down to the reader but allows us to understand and enjoy throughout. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
March 6, 2024
Being a fiber artist, I jumped at the chance to read an advance copy of this when it came my way. Silk!
This is not a book about fabric, it's a book about the animals that produce various kinds of silk fibers, and in most cases the scientists who tried to figure out how they could be more easily harvested and used. So you have to come to it with proper expectations. Prasad is a scientist and comes to this subject with a detailed understanding of the biology of the animals in question, and there is a lot of zoological information here.
At first, I was very put off by this - I'm not a scientist and kept waiting for information about how the different kinds of silk work in cloth. It's not there. Once I realized what kind of book this was, I was able to somewhat adjust my attitude and get more out of it. I never knew exactly what sea silk is, for example, and although it was very popular in blends with wool a decade or two ago, evidently the mollusks that produce it are now endangered and so there isn't sea silk anymore. The history of the bombyx sericulture in China was not unfamiliar, but the range of wild-gathered silks in India (muga, eri...) is something I've only barely heard about. The people who tried to find ways to harvest spider silk were, as Prasad says, obsessed to the point of doing slightly weird things to harvest the silk right out of the spider. While I believe what she says about the properties of spider silk, I'm not inclined to want to seek any of that out.
Her ultimate conclusions about the future of silk in a world that is going to have to stop making fabrics out of toxic substances (petrochemical fibers like acrylic) or natural fibers that cause environmental devastation by what's needed to grow and process them (cotton) were thought-provoking, and I hope we can return to fibers like wool and silk (despite PETA's deranged publicity campaigns, shearing sheep does NOT harm them...don't get me started on that! sheep MUST be sheared at least annually to remain healthy).
Since the book is not about cloth, there are no gorgeous pictures other than the one on the cover. If you have a biological bent at all and are interested in the history and technology of various kinds of silk, I recommend this. If you want to know about how the different kinds of silk work in fabric applications, maybe the Worm Spit website is still running?
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.
This is not a book about fabric, it's a book about the animals that produce various kinds of silk fibers, and in most cases the scientists who tried to figure out how they could be more easily harvested and used. So you have to come to it with proper expectations. Prasad is a scientist and comes to this subject with a detailed understanding of the biology of the animals in question, and there is a lot of zoological information here.
At first, I was very put off by this - I'm not a scientist and kept waiting for information about how the different kinds of silk work in cloth. It's not there. Once I realized what kind of book this was, I was able to somewhat adjust my attitude and get more out of it. I never knew exactly what sea silk is, for example, and although it was very popular in blends with wool a decade or two ago, evidently the mollusks that produce it are now endangered and so there isn't sea silk anymore. The history of the bombyx sericulture in China was not unfamiliar, but the range of wild-gathered silks in India (muga, eri...) is something I've only barely heard about. The people who tried to find ways to harvest spider silk were, as Prasad says, obsessed to the point of doing slightly weird things to harvest the silk right out of the spider. While I believe what she says about the properties of spider silk, I'm not inclined to want to seek any of that out.
Her ultimate conclusions about the future of silk in a world that is going to have to stop making fabrics out of toxic substances (petrochemical fibers like acrylic) or natural fibers that cause environmental devastation by what's needed to grow and process them (cotton) were thought-provoking, and I hope we can return to fibers like wool and silk (despite PETA's deranged publicity campaigns, shearing sheep does NOT harm them...don't get me started on that! sheep MUST be sheared at least annually to remain healthy).
Since the book is not about cloth, there are no gorgeous pictures other than the one on the cover. If you have a biological bent at all and are interested in the history and technology of various kinds of silk, I recommend this. If you want to know about how the different kinds of silk work in fabric applications, maybe the Worm Spit website is still running?
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.
April 14, 2024
A sweeping, fascinating look at silk around the world. Prior to reading this, I thought of silk as the product of the Bombyx Mori silkworms munching on mulberry leaves in China; their cocoons boiled and strands separated to be woven into silk fabrics traded along the Silk Road. I even toured an attic room on a trip to China where we stood under the wooden rafters and learned how silkworms were traditionally cultivated. But this non-fiction book exposed me to so much more. Silk made in India from various types of moths also have a long history and there are many silk roads.
More surprising to me was “sea silk,” obtained from large and now virtually extinct mollusks in the Mediterranean. Sea silk refers to the silken fibers that kept the mollusks tethered to the sea floor yet allowed them to move with the tides. The prepared sea silk was used sparingly to adorn uniforms and knit hosiery for royalty. Nevertheless, overuse led to overharvesting of the shells, much like a different shell species that was highly prized for its blue pigment that was produced by grinding up the shells. (See “The Secret Lives of Color” by Kassia St. Clair ). [Sadly, humans just can’t have nice things without destroying them.]
Then there’s a lengthy section on the silk of spiders. The author’s research uncovered at least three distinct and independent inventions of spider milking machines! These would immobilize a spider and stimulate it into releasing webbing silk that would be gathered on a spool or reel. A few attempts at mass production are described as well. While the spiders were not killed (unless eaten by proximate spiders), it is an uncomfortable section to read. I couldn’t help but think of the large and sentient spiders in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s excellent sci-fi trilogy, “Children of Time.”
In the final section, the author discusses uses of and emerging research on silks, including creating items (replacement veins, etc.) that might someday be used internally in humans with less risk of rejection.
While the book tries to read like a novel, the writing is a bit too stiff to pull it off. Populated with artists, naturalists, and inventors, there are a lot of names but not much drama. As another reviewer also mentioned, when compared with Mark Kurlansky’s excellent non-fiction exploration of “Salt,” this is more of a straightforward recounting. Yet the research is impressive and the information gathered is fascinating.
My thanks to the author and to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.
More surprising to me was “sea silk,” obtained from large and now virtually extinct mollusks in the Mediterranean. Sea silk refers to the silken fibers that kept the mollusks tethered to the sea floor yet allowed them to move with the tides. The prepared sea silk was used sparingly to adorn uniforms and knit hosiery for royalty. Nevertheless, overuse led to overharvesting of the shells, much like a different shell species that was highly prized for its blue pigment that was produced by grinding up the shells. (See “The Secret Lives of Color” by Kassia St. Clair ). [Sadly, humans just can’t have nice things without destroying them.]
Then there’s a lengthy section on the silk of spiders. The author’s research uncovered at least three distinct and independent inventions of spider milking machines! These would immobilize a spider and stimulate it into releasing webbing silk that would be gathered on a spool or reel. A few attempts at mass production are described as well. While the spiders were not killed (unless eaten by proximate spiders), it is an uncomfortable section to read. I couldn’t help but think of the large and sentient spiders in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s excellent sci-fi trilogy, “Children of Time.”
In the final section, the author discusses uses of and emerging research on silks, including creating items (replacement veins, etc.) that might someday be used internally in humans with less risk of rejection.
While the book tries to read like a novel, the writing is a bit too stiff to pull it off. Populated with artists, naturalists, and inventors, there are a lot of names but not much drama. As another reviewer also mentioned, when compared with Mark Kurlansky’s excellent non-fiction exploration of “Salt,” this is more of a straightforward recounting. Yet the research is impressive and the information gathered is fascinating.
My thanks to the author and to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.
October 19, 2024
Enjoyed the thorough analysis of silk including its unique characteristics, its history and the challenges associated with mimicking the engineering properties. There was a significant gap in the history, from 1900 to present day, that left me wondering.
Book provides a comprehensive exploration of silk that goes beyond the conventional narrative of China and the Silk Road and offers a more complex and nuanced story of silk's origins, production, and impact across cultures and time
Key Aspects of the Book:
Three Metamorphoses -
Prasad structures her narrative around three transformations:
1. Caterpillar to moth
2. Cocoon to commodity
3. Simple protein chains to threads with extraordinary capabilities[1]
Types of Silk-
The book focuses on three main categories of "other" silks:
1. Wild silks from various moths, primarily from India
2. Sea silk from mollusks
3. Spider silk
Historical and Scientific Context-
Prasad weaves together various elements to provide a rich tapestry of silk's history:
- Biographical sketches of important figures like Linnaeus
- Historical vignettes, including 17th and 18th-century naturalists' expeditions
- Archaeological evidence of ancient silk traditions in South Asia
- Contributions of Indian artists to British natural history illustrations
Contemporary Research-
The book concludes with a discussion of modern scientific efforts to replicate and innovate silk production, highlighting both the challenges and potential future developments in the field.
Writing Style and Approach-
Prasad's writing is described as engaging and fluent, making the book accessible to general readers interested in popular science and history. She employs a variety of narrative techniques, including:
- Informative tangents that provide broader context
- Connections between seemingly disparate historical events and scientific developments
- A blend of historical research and contemporary reportage
The book challenges simplistic narratives about silk's history, encouraging readers to consider the material's complex global legacy.
Book provides a comprehensive exploration of silk that goes beyond the conventional narrative of China and the Silk Road and offers a more complex and nuanced story of silk's origins, production, and impact across cultures and time
Key Aspects of the Book:
Three Metamorphoses -
Prasad structures her narrative around three transformations:
1. Caterpillar to moth
2. Cocoon to commodity
3. Simple protein chains to threads with extraordinary capabilities[1]
Types of Silk-
The book focuses on three main categories of "other" silks:
1. Wild silks from various moths, primarily from India
2. Sea silk from mollusks
3. Spider silk
Historical and Scientific Context-
Prasad weaves together various elements to provide a rich tapestry of silk's history:
- Biographical sketches of important figures like Linnaeus
- Historical vignettes, including 17th and 18th-century naturalists' expeditions
- Archaeological evidence of ancient silk traditions in South Asia
- Contributions of Indian artists to British natural history illustrations
Contemporary Research-
The book concludes with a discussion of modern scientific efforts to replicate and innovate silk production, highlighting both the challenges and potential future developments in the field.
Writing Style and Approach-
Prasad's writing is described as engaging and fluent, making the book accessible to general readers interested in popular science and history. She employs a variety of narrative techniques, including:
- Informative tangents that provide broader context
- Connections between seemingly disparate historical events and scientific developments
- A blend of historical research and contemporary reportage
The book challenges simplistic narratives about silk's history, encouraging readers to consider the material's complex global legacy.
October 2, 2024
I was provided an ARC of Silk by Aarathi Prasad, and while I wanted to love it, I found it difficult to sustain my attention. If you’re someone with a deep interest in silk, insects, or the intersection of history and science, you may feel differently. For me, the topic didn’t quite grip me in the way I had hoped.
The book provides a broad overview of silk’s history, from its earliest days to its modern applications, including its potential for sustainability. I appreciated the depth of research, but I found myself more intrigued by certain sections than others. The part on spider silk, for instance, was fascinating. I had no idea that spider silk had such a rich history, let alone that people have actually made and worn garments from it!
The explorers who discovered the giant spiders that produce this silk are a mystery to me—how were they not terrified? I can barely tolerate tiny spiders in my home, and these people were out there collecting webs from spiders that could eat birds!
Some of the other surprising facts I learned:
-Silk has applications in healing? I never knew!
-During World War II, the Nazis experimented on silkworms (Bombyx mori) to create parachutes and used them as part of their twisted "racial hygiene" programs.
-Spider silk was used in the crosshairs of telescopes and viewfinders during the war.
-Scientists genetically engineered spider goats—yes, goats with spider genes—in the 2000s. They would milk these goats to collect spider silk proteins. This feels like something straight out of a sci-fi show like Black Mirror.
What stood out to me most was the sheer number of unexpected uses for silk. I always thought of it as something purely for clothing, but it turns out silk plays a role in medicine, technology, and even warfare.
In the end, while Silk offers a wealth of interesting information, it didn’t quite capture me throughout. If you’re passionate about the subject, you may find it more compelling, but I found it difficult to remain fully engaged.
The book provides a broad overview of silk’s history, from its earliest days to its modern applications, including its potential for sustainability. I appreciated the depth of research, but I found myself more intrigued by certain sections than others. The part on spider silk, for instance, was fascinating. I had no idea that spider silk had such a rich history, let alone that people have actually made and worn garments from it!
The explorers who discovered the giant spiders that produce this silk are a mystery to me—how were they not terrified? I can barely tolerate tiny spiders in my home, and these people were out there collecting webs from spiders that could eat birds!
Some of the other surprising facts I learned:
-Silk has applications in healing? I never knew!
-During World War II, the Nazis experimented on silkworms (Bombyx mori) to create parachutes and used them as part of their twisted "racial hygiene" programs.
-Spider silk was used in the crosshairs of telescopes and viewfinders during the war.
-Scientists genetically engineered spider goats—yes, goats with spider genes—in the 2000s. They would milk these goats to collect spider silk proteins. This feels like something straight out of a sci-fi show like Black Mirror.
What stood out to me most was the sheer number of unexpected uses for silk. I always thought of it as something purely for clothing, but it turns out silk plays a role in medicine, technology, and even warfare.
In the end, while Silk offers a wealth of interesting information, it didn’t quite capture me throughout. If you’re passionate about the subject, you may find it more compelling, but I found it difficult to remain fully engaged.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews