The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World
- Downloads：5246
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-07 16:21:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Virginia Postrel
- ISBN：1541617622
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Jeff Gabriel
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A good book with interesting information， but somewhat dry and perhaps fit for a true student of the craft or industry。 As a reader more interested in the general history and the impact on civilization， it was a bit spare。 Everything was well researched， and the author provided a good amount of detail with regard to methods in particular - the difficulties of cultivation， dying， and assembly in particular。
Caroline 'reading with Buddy'
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This was fascinating - in parts reminded me of Year 11 in Australia learning about the industrial revolution and it was amazing how much came back to me。 Loved how the story developed of fabric with all the modern developments and the bit re Under Armour was fascinating I never knew that - it puts clothes into a different light。 I choose this audio to help my daughter with GSCE as she is doing textiles and thought it might help her she got details out of it， but in all honestly I think I got mor This was fascinating - in parts reminded me of Year 11 in Australia learning about the industrial revolution and it was amazing how much came back to me。 Loved how the story developed of fabric with all the modern developments and the bit re Under Armour was fascinating I never knew that - it puts clothes into a different light。 I choose this audio to help my daughter with GSCE as she is doing textiles and thought it might help her she got details out of it， but in all honestly I think I got more out of it。 It was so refreshing and I learnt so much。 The narration was brilliant and so fitted in with the story。 I was given a copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own。 。。。more
Jeanne
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Whitewashed history that glosses over chattel slavery in the cotton and indigo industry。 Misrepresents the exploitation and colonization of South Asia as a gift of weaving。 And is anti-indigenous。Super yikes。
Caroline
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I am abandoning this book。 It is probably great for someone who has never heard of any of this before。 However， I was being really bored and uncertain if I wanted to keep going。 Then I got to the part where she is talking about how math is necessary to weavers， and she says if a weaver is making a 40 inch piece， with 25 threads per inch （so 1000 threads）， and a pattern with a 19 thread repeat， and she wants to know if her pattern will fit， she doesn't get a calculator and divide 1000 by 19， she I am abandoning this book。 It is probably great for someone who has never heard of any of this before。 However， I was being really bored and uncertain if I wanted to keep going。 Then I got to the part where she is talking about how math is necessary to weavers， and she says if a weaver is making a 40 inch piece， with 25 threads per inch （so 1000 threads）， and a pattern with a 19 thread repeat， and she wants to know if her pattern will fit， she doesn't get a calculator and divide 1000 by 19， she threads the entire warp and then starting at the outside edges counts her threads in groups of 19 to see if she has a remainder in the middle。 I almost threw the book across the room。 NO WE DON'T！ I can only imagine the possibility of making errors there and with 1000 threads it would take forever and probably not be accurate。 We are not against just using a damn calculator。Despite her having talked to lots of interesting people I already know of， she lost me at that point。 I was already questioning her remarks that mechanization of spinning and weaving didn't put people out of work - that case can only be made if you think only across generations and centuries， and ignore individuals who were starving。I have better things to do with my time than read this。 Maybe I'll come back to it。 Meanwhile I only recommend it for outdoor who don't already practice fiber crafts。 。。。more
Maria
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Fascinating。 I always knew that weaving was influential on computer science， but never though about weaving as binary， but it makes sense。 It's probably just a coincidence， but it is cool。 Fascinating。 I always knew that weaving was influential on computer science， but never though about weaving as binary， but it makes sense。 It's probably just a coincidence， but it is cool。 。。。more
Paul Downs
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Excellent summary of the contributions that textile technology made to human development。 Readable， interesting。
Dogsandbooks
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Incredibly important history of technology and how it affected civilization。 Bringing the hidden in plain sight into the open。 Libby via Brighton
Chris Demer
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This is a compelling， well researched book that traces the history of textiles and their development from the earliest civilizations to the present。 This is （until fairly recently） the story of women and the textiles they made that allowed civilizations to grow and change。 Perhaps because textiles are so ubiquitous， we take them for granted， but it is impossible to think of a world without them！The book is divided into sections: fibers， spinning， weaving， dyeing， trade， consumers and innovation。 This is a compelling， well researched book that traces the history of textiles and their development from the earliest civilizations to the present。 This is （until fairly recently） the story of women and the textiles they made that allowed civilizations to grow and change。 Perhaps because textiles are so ubiquitous， we take them for granted， but it is impossible to think of a world without them！The book is divided into sections: fibers， spinning， weaving， dyeing， trade， consumers and innovation。 Fibers: Cotton， linen， wool and silkAnimals and plants - sheep， flax， cotton and silkworms have been bred and interbred with intent， for their fibers for millenia。 Fibers have been twisted and spun into string， rope and threads and woven into fabrics plain and elegant for needs too numerous to mention。 Think togas in Rome， the elegant， embroidered clothing of emperors， clothing of the armies， traders and peasants。Think of blankets， protection from the weather， sails on those ships - Phoenician， Roman， Viking and all the others。 The processing of these natural fibers has been altered over the generations resulting in many various outcomes。 More recently， fibers have been created through chemistry， e。g。 nylon， polyester， microfibers。Until the 19th century， fibers were spun by women。 Almost all women spent hours every day spinning。 Spindle whorls have been found in almost all archeological sites， made of clay， stone， glass and sometimes other materials。Cloth is created by weaving thread on hand looms through most of history。 （It took longer to make the sails for Viking ships that to build the ships。） Amazing and beautiful cloth has been created on sipmle and later more complex looms。The author describes the development of complicated patterns of weaving that reflect complex mathematics。 Some details of the function of these looms was a little too technical for me to grasp completely。Dying has been used over six thousand years to provide color and contrast to woven material。 Initially developed from animal and vegetable sources， most were versions of tan or brown， but indigo （from various sources） was used in ancient times to create a lovely blue color。 This discovery was followed by Tyrian purple derived from sea snail。 Different techniques and mordants were developed for stabilizing dyes。 In the new world， cochineal insects are still used to produce a red dye used by Mexican weavers。The author discusses the importance of dyes and textiles in trade from early times， and even its effects on the development of banking with "bills of exchange" for fabrics ordered and shipped to various countries。 She also discusses Asian and African weaving styles， including Kente cloth。Many of the fabrics available now are synthesized and used alone or in combination with natural fibers to create an almost limitless variety。This book is comprehensive and readable， although a few parts were a bit technical。 It is fully researched， with a glossary and extensive notes and index。 It is a great resource for information related to fabric。 I highly recommend it to readers interested in textiles of any kind。 。。。more
Amanda
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I truly loved this book！ I am a PhD student in Archaeology， so I am very familiar with the fabric technologies of the ancient Mediterranean。 However， I learned so much about current developments in fabric technology and cloth from African nations and south american nations。 I loved the stories about the dying techniques and smuggling silk。 This book is well-researched， fascinating and still gripping。 Well done。
HBalikov
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This may， for me， be the most surprising and delightful non-fiction book I have read in 2021！ “We hairless apes coevolved with our cloth。 From the moment we’re wrapped in a blanket at birth， we are surrounded by textiles。 They cover our bodies， bedeck our beds， and carpet our floors。 Textiles give us seat belts and sofa cushions， tents and bath towels， medical masks and duct tape。 They are everywhere。 “But， to reverse Arthur C。 Clarke’s famous adage about magic， any sufficiently familiar technol This may， for me， be the most surprising and delightful non-fiction book I have read in 2021！ “We hairless apes coevolved with our cloth。 From the moment we’re wrapped in a blanket at birth， we are surrounded by textiles。 They cover our bodies， bedeck our beds， and carpet our floors。 Textiles give us seat belts and sofa cushions， tents and bath towels， medical masks and duct tape。 They are everywhere。 “But， to reverse Arthur C。 Clarke’s famous adage about magic， any sufficiently familiar technology is indistinguishable from nature。 It seems intuitive， obvious—so woven into the fabric of our lives that we take it for granted。 We no more imagine a world without cloth than one without sunlight or rain。 “We drag out heirloom metaphors—“on tenterhooks，” “towheaded，” “frazzled”—with no idea that we’re talking about fabric and fibers。 We repeat threadbare clichés: “whole cloth，” “hanging by a thread，” “dyed in the wool。” We catch airline shuttles， weave through traffic， follow comment threads。 We speak of life spans and spinoffs and never wonder why drawing out fibers and twirling them into thread looms so large in our language。 Surrounded by textiles， we’re largely oblivious to their existence and to the knowledge and efforts embodied in every scrap of fabric。”Postrel has written a comprehensive book that knits （yes， pun intended） various threads of history， culture and technology together。 It is a tour de force， and one that I am indebted to Geoff for calling to my attention。 https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。Sections:FiberThread Cloth DyeTradersConsumersInnovatorsThis is an up-to-date evaluation that ranks the invention of string along side that of the steam engine and the semiconductor。I understand that this book is great because it is more than a collection of facts but some of the facts are fascinating:The need for spinning thread is one of these that captures the term “spinster” into why this was a “bottle-neck” in the production of thread， or as the author puts it， “…a problem waiting to be solved。”The word “fustian” refers to fabric， “which used linen warp threads and cotton weft。”It is delightful to see how much Postrel attempts to gather together in this book and how well she succeeds！ 。。。more
Janet
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Excellent technological and social history of the cloth we surround ourselves with every day and therefore take for granted。
Signora
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Fascinating historical account of the role textiles played in the developing of civilization。 Read for an Omnilore class。
Shelly
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I learned quite a bit about textiles all over the world from this book。
Carmen
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Great overview of the history of fiber/fabric and the connections to our developing civilization。 Especially like the connections to the future of developing civilization。
Stacie Lauren
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The Fabric of Civilization takes a single topic， fabric， and winds its way throughout history starting in the prehistoric period。 My favorite chapters of this book were on the traders and consumers of fabric， because those really dove in more on the historical context and cultures that I was intrigued by in the description。 Having not looked at the table on context first， I expected that each chapter/section would be in chronological order on a different culture and how fabric was a staple in th The Fabric of Civilization takes a single topic， fabric， and winds its way throughout history starting in the prehistoric period。 My favorite chapters of this book were on the traders and consumers of fabric， because those really dove in more on the historical context and cultures that I was intrigued by in the description。 Having not looked at the table on context first， I expected that each chapter/section would be in chronological order on a different culture and how fabric was a staple in their culture， which is not really the focus of the book。In The Fabric of Civilization， the author separates the book into sections regarding the steps of creation of fabric then concluding with the use of the fabric for civilizations。 I was a little surprised by the complex technical descriptions of the harvesting， making， and dyeing of the fabric throughout the book。 As an audiobook I had a little trouble with these areas since I do not have any background knowledge of fabric making/weaving。 Having the physical book in hand to reread sections would have been much better for my comprehension。 However， for those looking to expand their knowledge of the creation of fabric overtime， this book would be a phenomenal resource。 I really enjoyed the common thread that was weaved throughout this book （sorry I had to do one fabric pun） and found out some information that I will be utilizing in my Art History courses。Thank you to NetGalley and Basic Books for granting me a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review！ 。。。more
K Kriesel
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Excellent information， somewhat disorganized。 At times Postrel bounced from one concept to another and it was so difficult to follow her train of thought that I lost interest and skipped pages to the next concept in hopes that it was more streamlined。 Would still recommend just for the history of innovation and how closely tied textiles are to all of humanity
Audrey H。
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This was a mix of history， archaeology， science and art - sure sounded right up my alley！ And while it wasn’t really a history of specific fabrics， it did walk the reader through the history of fabric manufacturing。 As historically valuable trade goods， fabrics provided the impetus for many discoveries that we might not connect back to cloth - such as accounting， chemistry or computers （this one was too big of a stretch for me）。 Some chapters were way more interesting （Fibers， Dyes， Innovators） This was a mix of history， archaeology， science and art - sure sounded right up my alley！ And while it wasn’t really a history of specific fabrics， it did walk the reader through the history of fabric manufacturing。 As historically valuable trade goods， fabrics provided the impetus for many discoveries that we might not connect back to cloth - such as accounting， chemistry or computers （this one was too big of a stretch for me）。 Some chapters were way more interesting （Fibers， Dyes， Innovators） than others （Thread， Fabric， Traders）。 Overall， I don’t think Postrel is very good at physical descriptions so without any pictures （I had an audio version）， there are many setups that seemed to go right over my head。 I’d definitely recommend consuming this with your eyeballs。 I voluntarily obtained a digital version of this book free from Netgalley and OrangeSky Audio in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Anjana
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When I picked this up， I did not realize how much I will take away from it。 The innocuous fabric is actually shown to hold large swatches of history together！The author's attachment to the topic and the level of enthusiasm comes through the pages。 The book can get a little heavy from time to time but is divided in a way that taking breaks helps return to the content。 As the cover promises， historical and archaeological findings regarding the concept of fabric is traced all the way down to our cu When I picked this up， I did not realize how much I will take away from it。 The innocuous fabric is actually shown to hold large swatches of history together！The author's attachment to the topic and the level of enthusiasm comes through the pages。 The book can get a little heavy from time to time but is divided in a way that taking breaks helps return to the content。 As the cover promises， historical and archaeological findings regarding the concept of fabric is traced all the way down to our current 3D printing reality。 The unexpected part in it all was the well-researched connections to politics and the economic implications of manufacturing/processing fabrics for public and personal use。 I would not have otherwise observed so many tangible and intangible connections when it comes to the concept of fabric and what it means in the larger picture。 It was fascinating， to say the least。As I mentioned earlier， the book is a little heavy on the facts， which is to be expected given the topic being discussed。 Despite that， it is an exciting read， even if I did do it in parts spread out over a couple of days。I highly recommend this to anyone interested in non-fiction which tackles a unique topic while providing historical/political information。I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers， but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience。 。。。more
Theresa
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The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the Worldby Virginia PostrelAudio book， helps to go through this diverse historical text。 The author showing the textile industry from the medium to the synthesis of ideas， products and procedures。 I found so much cultural explanation and diverse sources for the textile industry。 The history of textile starts simple with the creation of thread， to the state of the art labs that have 3 d controlled knitting machines， and robots to indicate the desires The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the Worldby Virginia PostrelAudio book， helps to go through this diverse historical text。 The author showing the textile industry from the medium to the synthesis of ideas， products and procedures。 I found so much cultural explanation and diverse sources for the textile industry。 The history of textile starts simple with the creation of thread， to the state of the art labs that have 3 d controlled knitting machines， and robots to indicate the desires of the new lead customers。 Like Under-armor， to Spoonflower this entrepreneurial story of textiles， and fashion are interwoven in cultures， and cross-cultural innovation。 。。。more
Laura Snell
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Was given an advanced listen in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley This book is fascinating。 Nothing I would normally pick but it’s not only intellectually stimulating but also paints a vivid picture through textiles that transports you throughout the world and time This books isn’t solely about textiles。 It incorporates how history， textiles， language， and prominent events are all linked I was very invested from start to finish and thoroughly enjoyed this authors style （first boo Was given an advanced listen in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley This book is fascinating。 Nothing I would normally pick but it’s not only intellectually stimulating but also paints a vivid picture through textiles that transports you throughout the world and time This books isn’t solely about textiles。 It incorporates how history， textiles， language， and prominent events are all linked I was very invested from start to finish and thoroughly enjoyed this authors style （first book I’ve read from this author） 。。。more
Angela
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I love to knit and quilt。 I’ve been doing it for around 30 years but the act of making knitted fabric still feels like a wonder。 So I jumped at the chance to listen to this book。 The Fabric of Civilization takes us through silk production， how cotton crop varieties were selected for and how technology has made the work of creating fabric from fibers easier and quicker。 Each topic felt well described and researched without being too stuffy for a regular reader。 The narrator was pleasant- she felt I love to knit and quilt。 I’ve been doing it for around 30 years but the act of making knitted fabric still feels like a wonder。 So I jumped at the chance to listen to this book。 The Fabric of Civilization takes us through silk production， how cotton crop varieties were selected for and how technology has made the work of creating fabric from fibers easier and quicker。 Each topic felt well described and researched without being too stuffy for a regular reader。 The narrator was pleasant- she felt to me like she had the right tone and speed for this type of nonfiction。 By the end I’d convinced myself I needed to upgrade my rarely used drop spindle to a full on spinning wheel。 I’m not entirely sure I won’t be buying a loom too。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to and review this book。 。。。more
Diane
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Textiles - fabric - truly made the world。 Trade， money， chemistry， pharmaceuticals， the Industrial Revolution - with textiles at the very center。 Fascinating。
Geoff
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One of the best books I've read this year。 Postrel does a great job writing an engaging story that not only walks through all of the steps of textile making but also shows the technological advances that helps boost them and the impacts （cultural， economic， and technological） that the mass availability of different kids of textiles facilitated and caused。 The section on how the many European textile import/export firms became some of the first banks is just one of the many interesting nuggets。 A One of the best books I've read this year。 Postrel does a great job writing an engaging story that not only walks through all of the steps of textile making but also shows the technological advances that helps boost them and the impacts （cultural， economic， and technological） that the mass availability of different kids of textiles facilitated and caused。 The section on how the many European textile import/export firms became some of the first banks is just one of the many interesting nuggets。 And I really liked her descriptions of anthropologists' efforts to recreate ancient textile technologies （the section of Phoenician dye techniques was particularly interesting and pungent）。 This was a fun， engaging， and erudite book; highly recommended！ 。。。more
Nancy Holt
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TiLSo much that I didn't know about how textiles revolutionized the world。 Great reading for folks interested in the industrial revolution and what is continuing to advance。 TiLSo much that I didn't know about how textiles revolutionized the world。 Great reading for folks interested in the industrial revolution and what is continuing to advance。 。。。more
Helen
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A while ago I read "The Golden Thread: how fabric changed history"， well MS Postrel managed to find a publisher willing to illustrate her work and it made quite a difference as in the pair of photos illustrating wool where one picture shows an animal very close to the original sheep， thin， big horns， and scrappy bits of wool shedding randomly， while the other is a merino sheep ready for shearing， masses of wool in a rippling sheet， no horns and apparently larger。 In order to get a large amount o A while ago I read "The Golden Thread: how fabric changed history"， well MS Postrel managed to find a publisher willing to illustrate her work and it made quite a difference as in the pair of photos illustrating wool where one picture shows an animal very close to the original sheep， thin， big horns， and scrappy bits of wool shedding randomly， while the other is a merino sheep ready for shearing， masses of wool in a rippling sheet， no horns and apparently larger。 In order to get a large amount of wool at one time the animals had to stop shedding and that meant the breeder had to learn shearing。 A trade-off。 The two books are working from slightly different points of view - history as opposed to civilization - but I am not quite sure what to use as examples， except that spider thread is a remarkable thing and its utilisation could （does） feature in a fabric history but it is unlikely to become generally usable and won't change civilisation。This book details the development of technique and the improvement of fibre so you see the changes in looms， the development of stronger and longer staple cotton， the above mentioned sheep breeding， and the domesticating of silk worms。 Two startling facts I learned: Genghis Khan had hundreds of weavers seized from one part of the Chinese empire and placed in other parts so as to speed the development of new and improved techniques and the cross use of pattern making。 The other was the fact that the improvement in cotton yields would have made it economic to raise cotton in Texas without the use of slaves but it didn't attract enough settlers fast enough so slave culture continued till emancipation。The separation of the book into discrete chapters: fibre， cloth， dyeing， traders， users allowed the reader to focus on the separate aspects。 The section on traders was particularly interesting because it explained how middlemen of several sorts came to be and how banking practices came about and developed。 。。。more
Abbie | nerdyabbie
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DNF @ 20%I wanted to like this， but I might die of boredom…😬
Em Meurer （emcanread）
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The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the Worldby Virginia Postrel⚡️ I was provided an audio-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review （Out now in print and on audiobook on 8/17！）🌟: 5 / 5 📚: A global history of the textiles we’ve made and how they’ve made us。💭: This book is so cool？！ Postrel’s history brings a fresh perspective to textiles of the past by going beyond the expected descriptions of materials and instead delves deep into large and small scale implic The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the Worldby Virginia Postrel⚡️ I was provided an audio-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review （Out now in print and on audiobook on 8/17！）🌟: 5 / 5 📚: A global history of the textiles we’ve made and how they’ve made us。💭: This book is so cool？！ Postrel’s history brings a fresh perspective to textiles of the past by going beyond the expected descriptions of materials and instead delves deep into large and small scale implications of the development of this product over time。Not only is this a history of textiles， it’s an overview into the history of agriculture， our understanding of chemistry， the shaping of language， the rise of industrialization， and the influence of skilled workers on economics and gender roles through the present day。 By using every tool at textile historians’ disposal— from DNA sequencing to determine when humans began domesticating cotton， sheep for wool， and other natural fibers; to studying economic records of the past; to working alongside materials scientists to work on textiles of the future。 Postrel paints a fuller picture of the impact of fabric on everyday life （besides the fact that we touch and use it every day） and ties together the seemingly distant threads of what arose in the process。Although it’s by no means an exhaustive guide to every culture’s use of fabric throughout history， The Fabric of Civilization brings together far-reaching case studies in a way that isn’t completely overwhelming to readers。 Descriptions of processes， revolutionary technologies， and people who had a hand in making them are rarely， if ever， hard to wrap your brain around— even if you have little knowledge of the textile manufacturing process。 Postrel goes in depth on her subject， but without feeling boring or too in the weeds （as many micro-histories tend to fall prey to）。And although this book does touch on craft， it’s not a book about craft。 It is in equal parts history， science， math， and art coming together in one object that really engages your whole brain。 More of a theoretical math person than an arts and crafts person， or vice versa？ This book very expertly weaves very left and right-brained subject elements together to make learning about textiles as cross-disciplinary as the industry was （and still is）。My main and only issue with it is that it attributes quotes or theses to “a scientist” or “a historian。” It feels both incomplete and negates someone’s whole research by not properly attributing it to them？ I assume that this could have a footnote or a citation at the end of the book， but as this is an audiobook， there’s no proper attribution at all？ Which feels like a massive negative as the rest of the book is very clearly extremely well-researched and as a result， makes me somewhat question the validity of the other facts in this book that aren’t properly attributed。Despite issues I had with some attribution and references， I still found this book truly fascinating。 I was constantly in awe by the connections that this book allowed me to start to see。 Postrel weaves a truly brilliant tapestry of the invisible threads that tie cultures， people， industries， technologies， and— most importantly— fabric together。 。。。more
Achu Aswathi
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This is such a superb read。 How cotton was introduced in the world to different materials used in the textile industry and how the development and creating hybrids and different techniques used from history to geography and scientific aspects are covered about the humankind and how they evolved with this industry。 I really loved the concept of math used for patterns explained and how the banking system was introduced， the innovations in textile， how a project that gave other results helped in th This is such a superb read。 How cotton was introduced in the world to different materials used in the textile industry and how the development and creating hybrids and different techniques used from history to geography and scientific aspects are covered about the humankind and how they evolved with this industry。 I really loved the concept of math used for patterns explained and how the banking system was introduced， the innovations in textile， how a project that gave other results helped in the dying industry and how colonization and everything are interlinked。 This is a book on how human civilization and the clothing industry developed together and how the innovation made changes and improved the way of understanding and quality of the clothing。The narration was so good。 The author has researched a lot and made a great effort to make this book on fabrics and civilizations。 Each chapter was on each thing related to the clothing industry from fabrics， dying， innovation， 。。。I got a lot of information about the clothing industry and many more things。 。。。more
Stephen
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CHAOS: MAKING A NEW SCIENCE but for textiles。 Frequently surprising， fact-dense but never a slog， sweeping in scope but studded with anecdotes。 Definitely recommended to anyone who likes good nonfiction。
Ties
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