The Book of Looms: A History of the Handloom from Ancient Times to Present

by Eric Broudy

A heavily illustrated classic on the evolution of the handloom.
 
The handloom—often no more than a bundle of sticks and a few lengths of cordage—has been known to almost all cultures for thousands of years. Eric Broudy places the wide variety of handlooms in their historical context. What influenced their development? How did they travel from one geographic area to another? Were they invented independently by different cultures? How have modern cultures improved on ancient weaving skills and methods? Broudy shows how virtually every culture has woven on handlooms. He highlights the incredible technical achievement of early cultures that created magnificent textiles with the crudest of tools and demonstrates that modern technology has done nothing to surpass their skill or inventiveness.
 

Genres: History

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Vicki Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

we're surrounded by fiber, from birth in our swaddling blankets to our shroud at death. where does it all come from, and even more importantly, why? why weave, why make baskets, sleeping mats, carrying bags? this is a question and technique that goes back dozens of thousands of years, and in this book many of these questions are answered. it's an esoteric subject, but to me, and others, a fascinating one. read and enjoy this book. there is way more information than I anticipated

[Kelly]

Working my way thru this book. Very interesting and well-illustrated, but seeing the looms would make it much clearer!
Really interesting book. I enjoy history and weaving, so this was a real winner of a book for me.