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Craft: An American History
A groundbreaking and endlessly surprising history of how artisans created America, from the nation's origins to the present day.
At the center of the United States' economic and social development, according to conventional wisdom, are industry, commodities, and technology-while craftspeople and handmade objects are relegated to a bygone past. Renowned craft historian Glenn Adamson turns that narrative on its head in this innovative account, revealing how makers have always been central to America's identity. Examine any phase of the nation's struggle to define itself, and artisans are there-from the silversmith Paul Revere and the revolutionary carpenters and blacksmiths who hurled tea into Boston Harbor, to today's “craftivists.” From Mother Jones to Rosie the Riveter. From Betsy Ross to the AIDS Quilt.
Adamson documents how craft has long been implicated in debates around inequality, education, and class, as well as America's failures to live up to its loftiest ideals. Yet artisanship has also been a site of resistance for oppressed people, such as enslaved African-Americans whose skilled labor might confer hard-won agency under bondage, or the Native American makers who built traditional arts into businesses that preserved cherished folkways. Theirs are among the array of memorable portraits of Americans both celebrated and unfamiliar in this richly peopled book. As Adamson argues, these artisans' stories speak to our collective striving toward a more perfect union: from the beginning, America had to be-and still remains to be-crafted.
At the center of the United States' economic and social development, according to conventional wisdom, are industry, commodities, and technology-while craftspeople and handmade objects are relegated to a bygone past. Renowned craft historian Glenn Adamson turns that narrative on its head in this innovative account, revealing how makers have always been central to America's identity. Examine any phase of the nation's struggle to define itself, and artisans are there-from the silversmith Paul Revere and the revolutionary carpenters and blacksmiths who hurled tea into Boston Harbor, to today's “craftivists.” From Mother Jones to Rosie the Riveter. From Betsy Ross to the AIDS Quilt.
Adamson documents how craft has long been implicated in debates around inequality, education, and class, as well as America's failures to live up to its loftiest ideals. Yet artisanship has also been a site of resistance for oppressed people, such as enslaved African-Americans whose skilled labor might confer hard-won agency under bondage, or the Native American makers who built traditional arts into businesses that preserved cherished folkways. Theirs are among the array of memorable portraits of Americans both celebrated and unfamiliar in this richly peopled book. As Adamson argues, these artisans' stories speak to our collective striving toward a more perfect union: from the beginning, America had to be-and still remains to be-crafted.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 19, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
July 12, 2021
Not what I expected, and it took a bit of time for me to get used to what he was up to.
When he says 'craft' he doesn't mean home crafting, he means professional (mostly men except during wars) people who practiced trades such as ironwork, metal work, furniture building, and other manufacturing. The book is organized chronologically with each chapter loosely focused on a particular period in American history and the trades that were predominant, or changing, or otherwise of importance, in that period.
So, it was interesting and I didn't disagree with his general point that when craft trades are rendered obsolete something is lost, or the very interesting information on racism and slavery as it relates to craft. However, I did struggle with the tendency of the narrative to seem almost randomly organized sometimes because of the time-period structure - "also at the same time, this other thing was going on".
Textile crafts, which most interest me, were barely mentioned - weaving came up only when someone was a professional textile artist. Other books have been written on the importance of home based textile crafts in early America, so if that interests you then go looking for No Idle Hands or The Age of Homespun which are both great books.
The sections on "craftivism" and the movement of hand crafts into serving the wealthy population were the most interesting to me. But if you, yourself, are a craftsperson, don't come to this book expecting to find yourself.
When he says 'craft' he doesn't mean home crafting, he means professional (mostly men except during wars) people who practiced trades such as ironwork, metal work, furniture building, and other manufacturing. The book is organized chronologically with each chapter loosely focused on a particular period in American history and the trades that were predominant, or changing, or otherwise of importance, in that period.
So, it was interesting and I didn't disagree with his general point that when craft trades are rendered obsolete something is lost, or the very interesting information on racism and slavery as it relates to craft. However, I did struggle with the tendency of the narrative to seem almost randomly organized sometimes because of the time-period structure - "also at the same time, this other thing was going on".
Textile crafts, which most interest me, were barely mentioned - weaving came up only when someone was a professional textile artist. Other books have been written on the importance of home based textile crafts in early America, so if that interests you then go looking for No Idle Hands or The Age of Homespun which are both great books.
The sections on "craftivism" and the movement of hand crafts into serving the wealthy population were the most interesting to me. But if you, yourself, are a craftsperson, don't come to this book expecting to find yourself.
May 20, 2021
This excellent and long overdue book that looks at American history and the critical role that hand made things and their makers have played in the development of this country. The author includes all makers in his discussion, including the long overlooked or under-examined contributions of enslaved and free black people, indigenous people and women, and looking at the detrimental effects on these groups by the white men in charge of government, industry and the art world for most of our history.
My only criticism is that there should have been more photographs of the objects discussed and that the black and white images had been of better quality.
As a hand weaver, spinner and knitter and as well as a textile teacher, I have considered and explored the defining of Art and/versus Craft (as well as art and craft) for most of my career and Glenn Adamson's book has done much to expand the context of these subjects and given me a great deal to think about. I will purchase this book to read again and take notes this time!
My only criticism is that there should have been more photographs of the objects discussed and that the black and white images had been of better quality.
As a hand weaver, spinner and knitter and as well as a textile teacher, I have considered and explored the defining of Art and/versus Craft (as well as art and craft) for most of my career and Glenn Adamson's book has done much to expand the context of these subjects and given me a great deal to think about. I will purchase this book to read again and take notes this time!
May 8, 2025
helpful and very comprehensive. will be returning to it many times after for the discussion of basketry
September 14, 2020
Read if you: Want a deep dive into the history and importance of crafts and artisans in the United States.
Librarians/booksellers: From pre-colonial to times to "craftivism," Etsy, and the maker movement, this is an all-encompassing view of American craft history. The importance of African-Americans to American craft history--particularly in slavery and Civil Rights times--is significant, and eye-opening to read. Readers wanting a comprehensive look at American crafts will be rewarded.
Many thanks to Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Librarians/booksellers: From pre-colonial to times to "craftivism," Etsy, and the maker movement, this is an all-encompassing view of American craft history. The importance of African-Americans to American craft history--particularly in slavery and Civil Rights times--is significant, and eye-opening to read. Readers wanting a comprehensive look at American crafts will be rewarded.
Many thanks to Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 7, 2021
This wasn't nearly as interesting as I had hoped. I suppose I was expecting a history of crafts and the artisan trades in America, and this is more a history that uses making things versus industrialization as a lens for looking at social and economic issues.
I didn't hate it. In fact, there were some chapters -- the one on Moby Dick/Melville was not one of them -- that were quite informative and interesting.
I didn't hate it. In fact, there were some chapters -- the one on Moby Dick/Melville was not one of them -- that were quite informative and interesting.
February 3, 2022
I'm sure there was a thread that I was supposed to be following, but it felt like it jumped all over the place (Paul Revere, labor unions, communes, etc). There were sections I was stoked about and others I glossed over. It is very clear that yes, America was "founded" on craft. And that yes, it's more complicated and nuanced. As always. :)
September 16, 2024
Beginning with Copley’s portrait of master silversmith Paul Revere, the author examines all aspects of craft in America … from the hardy founders to the politically-minded craftivists, craftsmen have had an impact on American history, not to mention organized labor, civil rights, and feminism … fascinating in its details …
June 4, 2023
I learned so much from this book.
November 4, 2021
Well-written, connected to contemporary movements and reflections on the social use of valuing and disvaluing craft, artisanship, and crafting as a political expression. Recommended for individual and small group reading.
January 29, 2021
This is a history of craft in America that extends from colonial times until the present, even including some COVID-19 issues. It covers a lot of material and many of the common distinctions drawn that include the idea of craft, such as between hand-crafted and manufactured, handicrafts and factory goods, custom or bespoke versus mass production. Looking at US history as the march of progress, mass production and marketing, and the rise of consumerist society, one can see the general decline of “craft” related industries although there remains some residual aspects of craft even as modern society takes over. For example, the most mass produced goods and high volume technologies will display a custom made side to how the production environment is built and maintained. Cars are mass produced perhaps, but car factories are custom made and embody lots of craft knowledge. At one level, craft is an orientation towards production - does production proceed on a small batch basis, or is it oriented to large batch or continuing manufacturing. Lots of businesses shifted to mass production early whereas other (shipbuilding, leather making) did not adopt scale processes as easily. For some activities, it gets murky. For example, the most successful airplane production in WW2 was not on an assembly line (Ford) but in a large batch environment (GM).
Ideas of craft have long been associated with how work is organized in America and the credit/value/ or pay received on the basis of quality and skill credentials. As Adamson shows, these issues also readily run up against issues of race, gender, or other demographics in the workforce, including temporary or what we today call “precarious” workers and jobs. It is surprising how common it has been from craft distinctions to be wrapped up in broader political agendas.
There are other aspects of craft in Adamson’s book. These include “do it yourself” approaches to tasks as well as home products for hobbies or children’s schooling. Craft can also include a number of activities geared towards historical remembering, for example Civil War and Revolutionary War reenactments and historically based local museums, including “living history” sites. This can lead easily into various niches of the antiques business as well as variations of arts and crafts for homes.
If I have any misgivings about the book, they relate to the unbelievably broad range of meanings that have come to be associated with “craft”. I would have preferred more consideration of how craft ideas can inform our thinking about various services in businesses, even if they do not produce specific things. For example, the task of management could well be looked at as a craft and there are broad business areas such as consulting and related “advisory” services for which craft models make a good deal of sense, down to the training of apprentices. This would also include skilled work in the more traditional “professions” such as medicine, engineering, or even accounting.
But craft is not just a way of looking at how to produce something. Adamson argues that it is also a social construction that ties the history of a society into how tasks are organized. This is why crafts have frequently been political, even down to its importance in primary socialization organizations such as the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. But it is already complicated to see how different industries have been organized, whether on mass production or small batch production. Choices that are made at the beginnings of an industry can have strong influences deep into the future. It is hard to get ones hands around all the ways in which production choices come to be embedded in society. Maybe some disentangling would have been helpful.
Maybe that can be another book.
Ideas of craft have long been associated with how work is organized in America and the credit/value/ or pay received on the basis of quality and skill credentials. As Adamson shows, these issues also readily run up against issues of race, gender, or other demographics in the workforce, including temporary or what we today call “precarious” workers and jobs. It is surprising how common it has been from craft distinctions to be wrapped up in broader political agendas.
There are other aspects of craft in Adamson’s book. These include “do it yourself” approaches to tasks as well as home products for hobbies or children’s schooling. Craft can also include a number of activities geared towards historical remembering, for example Civil War and Revolutionary War reenactments and historically based local museums, including “living history” sites. This can lead easily into various niches of the antiques business as well as variations of arts and crafts for homes.
If I have any misgivings about the book, they relate to the unbelievably broad range of meanings that have come to be associated with “craft”. I would have preferred more consideration of how craft ideas can inform our thinking about various services in businesses, even if they do not produce specific things. For example, the task of management could well be looked at as a craft and there are broad business areas such as consulting and related “advisory” services for which craft models make a good deal of sense, down to the training of apprentices. This would also include skilled work in the more traditional “professions” such as medicine, engineering, or even accounting.
But craft is not just a way of looking at how to produce something. Adamson argues that it is also a social construction that ties the history of a society into how tasks are organized. This is why crafts have frequently been political, even down to its importance in primary socialization organizations such as the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. But it is already complicated to see how different industries have been organized, whether on mass production or small batch production. Choices that are made at the beginnings of an industry can have strong influences deep into the future. It is hard to get ones hands around all the ways in which production choices come to be embedded in society. Maybe some disentangling would have been helpful.
Maybe that can be another book.
June 14, 2021
I mean, the title isn't lying, but my expectations were for something quite different. Can't really blame the author or book for that.
Adamson writes about the concept of craft, crafting and craftspeople in the context of the large overarching themes in American history -- the Revolution, industrialization, the labor movement, civil rights, the counterculture movement. While using examples of particular craftspeople and how they fit into these histories, Adamson focuses on how the concept of craft, and how it's used economically, socially and politically, rather the describing in detail any particular one.
And the concept of craft is wide here -- it includes what you might expect -- needlework, pottery, metalsmithing, carpentry, etc. But it also encompasses the Zoot Suit craze, hotrod culture, communal living, items created in Japanese-American concentration camps. There's a lot here to consider as "craft." The idea of "craftwashing" -- akin to "greenwashing" -- using words like "handcrafted" and "artisan" by large corporations to give their products a bespoke or homey feel -- was definitely something I'll take away from this.
I really did appreciate my idea of craft being expanded, but much of this book was a bit over my head. Still quite readable and interesting, if not exactly my handcrafted cup of tea.
Adamson writes about the concept of craft, crafting and craftspeople in the context of the large overarching themes in American history -- the Revolution, industrialization, the labor movement, civil rights, the counterculture movement. While using examples of particular craftspeople and how they fit into these histories, Adamson focuses on how the concept of craft, and how it's used economically, socially and politically, rather the describing in detail any particular one.
And the concept of craft is wide here -- it includes what you might expect -- needlework, pottery, metalsmithing, carpentry, etc. But it also encompasses the Zoot Suit craze, hotrod culture, communal living, items created in Japanese-American concentration camps. There's a lot here to consider as "craft." The idea of "craftwashing" -- akin to "greenwashing" -- using words like "handcrafted" and "artisan" by large corporations to give their products a bespoke or homey feel -- was definitely something I'll take away from this.
I really did appreciate my idea of craft being expanded, but much of this book was a bit over my head. Still quite readable and interesting, if not exactly my handcrafted cup of tea.
May 29, 2021
This was a good overview of the history of craft in America. It read like the scholarly text that it is, which is not a complaint, just an observation. I would have enjoyed more anecdotes about particular makers and their work, but that is simply a reflection of my personal taste.
What did feel as if it was missing was an examination of how craft functions in the lives of people like me; my day job includes creating graphic design and print production work on the computer, and requires that I know many skills that feel akin to those of a crafts person (typesetting, color theory, design theory, etc.). At the same time, my hobbies include traditional crafts such as basketry, weaving, knitting and spinning yarn. It seems as if creativity is the common thread, but I am not sure how it fits within the context of craft vs. trade vs. fine art that Adamson discusses.
What did feel as if it was missing was an examination of how craft functions in the lives of people like me; my day job includes creating graphic design and print production work on the computer, and requires that I know many skills that feel akin to those of a crafts person (typesetting, color theory, design theory, etc.). At the same time, my hobbies include traditional crafts such as basketry, weaving, knitting and spinning yarn. It seems as if creativity is the common thread, but I am not sure how it fits within the context of craft vs. trade vs. fine art that Adamson discusses.
October 3, 2021
I'm waffling between 3 & 4 stars. While the last few chapters did a great job at bringing present day craft to focus, the first few chapters were incredibly...not boring, per say, but there were too many little stories and a dense collection of names. I preferred the later chapters when it was overviews of craft movements.
Also, shout out to the Iowa towns mentioned: the Amana Colonies & Ottumwa. Those are all in my little corner of the state.
Also, shout out to the Iowa towns mentioned: the Amana Colonies & Ottumwa. Those are all in my little corner of the state.
Read
May 31, 2021skimmed
March 4, 2021
The early history of craft in the US is something new to me, concerning the cobblers, carpenters, woodworkers, seamstresses, weavers, silversmiths, etc. What is sad is that a lot of this "craft" manufacturing has gone to factories in China. However, as a quilter, I am very familiar with the craftivist movement. Working and creating with our hands is not such an unusual activity to many people in my circle. After I retired from a research and analytical career with the federal government, I started running a local chapter in the Washington DC area of a national non-profit which serves children. Our volunteers make, collect and distribute handmade quilts and afghans and other types of blankets to sick, traumatized and needy children. So now almost everyone I interact with is involved with creating with their hands for this good cause. Right after the COVID-19 started, I and my friends pivoted and started making face masks. Most of us have gotten tired of being mask factories and were relieved when we could return to the creative activities for which we have a passion: making blankets for children. So now crafting is not my hobby anymore, it's my life's work.
Read
February 7, 2021This is sold as book about the history of crafting...it is, sort of. Really it is a book about history through the lens of crafts. The Crafts that enslaved Africans brought to America on slaving ships, the crafts that African Americans learned to either escape from slavery, or to become individuals that are given their rights within a very prejudiced society. The history is interesting, the way that craft weaves itself into society in ways that most people no longer remember is deeply interesting. The history, the people, the abuses, etc. are tragic and disheartening. If you are looking for a book that focuses mainly on craft and how craft has woven itself throughout The United States, then this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a history book that looks at atrocities committed and how craft helped some escape these atrocities then this is a good book for you. If I were looking for a history of The United States then this would be a book I would pick up, for learning about the history of craft I will have to search on.
May 1, 2021
"Craft: An American History" explores the history of artisans as it pertains to America. I'm going to be upfront about this book. I didn't enjoy it. Glenn Adamson writes well, but it comes across as a treatise or a thesis paper. His approach is tedious and flat.
The book talks about artisans like Paul Revere and Benjamin Franklin. They were self-made men, bringing themselves up in the world by their efforts. Once they became famous enough or rich enough, they forgot their roots. Further on in history, gender and racial differences became a problem.
Compared to Europe, the United States had a different approach to Apprenticeships and Skilled Trades. The United States is a massive country compared to someplace like England. Due to this fact, it was necessary to broaden their skills and become capable of doing any work needed. A blacksmith couldn't afford to specialize.
The book didn't hold my interest because Adamson doesn't make his point clear and doesn't write for someone like me.
The book talks about artisans like Paul Revere and Benjamin Franklin. They were self-made men, bringing themselves up in the world by their efforts. Once they became famous enough or rich enough, they forgot their roots. Further on in history, gender and racial differences became a problem.
Compared to Europe, the United States had a different approach to Apprenticeships and Skilled Trades. The United States is a massive country compared to someplace like England. Due to this fact, it was necessary to broaden their skills and become capable of doing any work needed. A blacksmith couldn't afford to specialize.
The book didn't hold my interest because Adamson doesn't make his point clear and doesn't write for someone like me.
June 26, 2021
I had never thought of craft as American thing before so this book really opened my eyes into how craft is so important to our American identity. I was shocked how craft affect politics in the 1700s to 1900s, and wish I understood the nature of that better. I liked learning about individuals, particularly women and African Americans, and how they impacted craft in this country and people around them. I just had no idea that crafts could be connected to political discourse and was fascinated at how posititve craft was back then. The author did mention how we need to think about the environment and change our crafts to suit that mindset. Because I'm sort of a crafter and I don't feel particularly proud of crafts sometimes when I'm at the craft store and see all the plastic. So I really loved hearing how crafts are part of our blood and was very pleased to hear that we are getting back to our roots in places like Philly and Detroit.
August 1, 2023
Definitely an interesting premise for a study. Keep in mind that the subject is, functionally, skilled artisans making a variety of things by hand, largely in an industrial and not artistic or personal sense. So Adamson will talk a lot more about woodworking in the context of a cabinetmaker crafting items for sale, and not an individual making a single chair for their own home, or carving a single decoration for the aesthetic value alone. I don't have an issue with this scope, but I would have liked to have seen more profiles of those lost and scarce crafts that once made the world. I do like that Adamson kept turning the focus to marginalized communities, though. I would have liked more and better pictures. Seems kind of pointless to include a photo of something like Robineau's scarab vase if the picture is so small and poorly lit you can't make out any of the details that makes it worth mentioning by name.
August 25, 2024
Felt like it was trying to be comprehensive in scope, but obviously that's a lot of ground to cover and, as he says, craft studies is a relatively new phenomenon. Very interesting place to start though, and makes frequent attempts at troubling a largely upper/middle class, white view of craft.
Bits I found particularly interesting: the early American Arts and Crafts movement, discussion of the relationship between the studio craft movement and organized labor, the ties between suburbia and the 1950s DIY movement (and the socialist critiques thereof), and how the Pattern and Decoration Movement has led into the current moment of things like Etsy and Renegade (and their subsequent commercialization and homogenization). Lots to think about for sure!! Definitely would be a really interesting book club read.
Bits I found particularly interesting: the early American Arts and Crafts movement, discussion of the relationship between the studio craft movement and organized labor, the ties between suburbia and the 1950s DIY movement (and the socialist critiques thereof), and how the Pattern and Decoration Movement has led into the current moment of things like Etsy and Renegade (and their subsequent commercialization and homogenization). Lots to think about for sure!! Definitely would be a really interesting book club read.
Want to read
January 23, 2021NYT Review: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/bo...
Excerpt:
“Craft” aims to reckon with the shameful way we have treated and viewed those who handbuilt the country: Indigenous people, African-Americans, women and the working class. “Craft” tracks a legacy of extermination, decimation, oppression, forced assimilation and marginalization. Even on the upside, Adamson argues, when we try to do better by craft and its practitioners through philanthropic support and education, we are often guilty of idealization, appropriation, fetishization, commercialization and exploitation.
Hrm. Is this one really going to be for me? Well, I'll take a look at the library copy, when they get one.
Excerpt:
“Craft” aims to reckon with the shameful way we have treated and viewed those who handbuilt the country: Indigenous people, African-Americans, women and the working class. “Craft” tracks a legacy of extermination, decimation, oppression, forced assimilation and marginalization. Even on the upside, Adamson argues, when we try to do better by craft and its practitioners through philanthropic support and education, we are often guilty of idealization, appropriation, fetishization, commercialization and exploitation.
Hrm. Is this one really going to be for me? Well, I'll take a look at the library copy, when they get one.
December 19, 2021
This is a cultural history of crafters/artisans/skilled tradespeople in the US from Jamestown until the present. It's not a how-to book. There are some photo illustrations, but overall, it's much more like a long museum guide than a Martha Stewart book. The author makes many efforts to share the stories of makers from diverse backgrounds through time--for instance, the author recounts the amazing life story of James W.C. Pennington through the frame of his blacksmithing. There are metaphors for the remaking of selves and even the nation, which are deflated a bit by the stories of modern "craftwashing." It's all interesting, even if not always as inspiring as intended.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
August 31, 2021
Thoughtful, Provoking, Authoritative
Woven throughout these pages is a distinct respect for craft and those who craft. The author provides an excellent, and well documented, exploration of how craft's role and necessity has changed over the centuries of American life and examines how shifts in technology, politics, and social mores affected and were affected by craft and crafting. He closes with a compelling case for how craft may be more essential for our future than ever.
Very well written and engaging for anyone looking for a scholarly book that isn't written in an academic style.
Woven throughout these pages is a distinct respect for craft and those who craft. The author provides an excellent, and well documented, exploration of how craft's role and necessity has changed over the centuries of American life and examines how shifts in technology, politics, and social mores affected and were affected by craft and crafting. He closes with a compelling case for how craft may be more essential for our future than ever.
Very well written and engaging for anyone looking for a scholarly book that isn't written in an academic style.
February 3, 2023
I appreciated that the author broadened the definition of "craft" to include anything done by hand involving skill, so it covers mechanical workings in addition to the kind of craft that most people think of (ie, fiber arts, jewelry making, paper crafts, that sort of thing). The historical context was interesting, though it seemed a little bit biased towards the end against the hobby craft scene. The discussion of craftivism and the maker movement both came across as a little patronizing, as well as the details surrounding some of the bigger craft supply stores (Michaels and Hobby Lobby). Overall, it was a good look at the historical context for crafting, and I did enjoy that quite a bit.
May 19, 2023
One of the best economic history of the United States that I've run across! The focus is on small business owners of all races and genders. I really enjoyed the chapters that talked about the entrepreneurship of enslaved Americans and how the presence of slavery impacted white artisans.
When I first picked the book up I had thought it would talk about specific American artistic techniques and how they evolved. This is not an art book! It mentions weaving, silver-smithing, barrel making, etc, but it doesn't explain how any of those crafts were done.
When I first picked the book up I had thought it would talk about specific American artistic techniques and how they evolved. This is not an art book! It mentions weaving, silver-smithing, barrel making, etc, but it doesn't explain how any of those crafts were done.
April 4, 2024
This definitely falls under a history of work, since the well-off buy and the desperately poor are mostly worried about survival. So craft falls into a class that has enough breathing room to learn a skill and enough individuality to be involved politically in the outer world. This may be a dangerously limited definition in itself, but it makes its point. It however neglects agricultural pursuits and cooking, also the craft explosion that happened in the first months of the latest pandemic. This was a startling omission in general, but a good attempt.
August 5, 2023
I agree with another reviewer that this might better be titled Trade: An American History. Perhaps it is because in the 21st century craft has come to mean artisan, and this book is more about trades such as textile working, silver smithing, iron mongering, etc. It was quite interesting, although it would benefit from being about 25% shorter.
May 3, 2025
The author weaves the economic and sociological developments of crafts placed into the fabric of American history. The basic and familiar history lines are enhanced with insights into craft contributions through the decades.The chapter notes and bibliography are very extensive and very useful for follow-up historical
investigation.
investigation.
December 19, 2025
this was The Book for my thesis. an excellent examination of craft and culture in the us in the last 300 years.
while i wish some things had been better explained and given more time, i loved this book and probably read it 3 or 4 times during the writing process of my thesis and it gave me a lot of interesting research avenues to explore so i am very grateful for that.
highly recommend!
while i wish some things had been better explained and given more time, i loved this book and probably read it 3 or 4 times during the writing process of my thesis and it gave me a lot of interesting research avenues to explore so i am very grateful for that.
highly recommend!
April 18, 2021
This book is a nice survey of American craft, but I wish it centered stories of those marginalized by the mainstream craft movement and spun out broader discussions from there. Still I learned a lot and appreciated the up-to-the-moment discussion.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews