Research Catalog
The golden thread : how fabric changed history
- Title
- The golden thread : how fabric changed history / Kassia St. Clair.
- Author
- St. Clair, Kassia
- Publication
- New York : Liveright Publishing Corporation, a Division of W.W. Norton & Company, 2019.
- ©2018
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text | Use in library | TS1765 .S7 2019 | Off-site |
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Details
- Description
- xii, 351 pages : illustrations; 25 cm
- Summary
- All textiles begin with a twist. From colourful 30,000-year old threads found on the floor of a Georgian cave to what the linen wrappings of Tutankhamun's mummy actually meant; from the Silk Roads to the woolen sails that helped the Vikings reach America 700 years before Columbus; from the lace ruffs that infuriated the puritans to the Indian calicoes and chintzes that powered the Industrial Revolution, our continuing reinvention of cloth tells fascinating stories of human ingenuity. When we talk of lives hanging by a thread, being interwoven, or part of the social fabric, we are part of a tradition that stretches back many thousands of years. Fabric has allowed us to achieve extraordinary things and survive in unlikely places, and this book shows you how -- and why. With a cast that includes Chinese empresses, Richard the Lionheart and Bing Crosby, Kassia St Clair takes us on the run with escaped slaves, climbing the slopes of Everest and moonwalking with astronauts. Running like a bright line through history, The Golden Thread offers an unforgettable adventure through our past, present and future.
- Subjects
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [299]-335) and index.
- Contents
- Fibers in the cave: the origins of weaving -- Dead men's shrouds: wrapping and unwrapping Egyptian mummies -- Gifts and horses: silk in ancient China -- Cities that silk built: the silk roads -- Surf dragons: the Vikings' woolen sails -- A king's ransom: wool in medieval England -- Diamonds and the ruff: lace and luxury -- Solomon's coats: cotton, America, and trade -- Layering in extremis: clothing to conquer Everest and the South Pole -- Workers in the factory: rayon's dark past -- Under pressure: suits suitable for space -- Harder, better, faster, stronger: record breaking sports fabrics -- The golden cape: harnessing spider silk -- Golden threads: a coda.
- ISBN
- 9781631494802
- 1631494805
- LCCN
- 2019021979
- OCLC
- on1100449796
- SCSB-9631713
- Owning Institutions
- Princeton University Library