The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-17 16:31:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kassia St. Clair
- ISBN：1631499017
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Fred Cheyunski
，
Textile Origins & Progression - Hearing St。 Clair describing her book on public radio， caught my attention， and led me to look into this text。 My mother ran/owned a fabric store for many years where she and my sister were involved with many aspects of sewing personally and as part of the business。 Given my family involvement， I was fascinated to see this history and context for textile origins， its progression， and perspective on its influence in our lives。After an Introduction， the author proce Textile Origins & Progression - Hearing St。 Clair describing her book on public radio， caught my attention， and led me to look into this text。 My mother ran/owned a fabric store for many years where she and my sister were involved with many aspects of sewing personally and as part of the business。 Given my family involvement， I was fascinated to see this history and context for textile origins， its progression， and perspective on its influence in our lives。After an Introduction， the author proceeds through almost self-contained thirteen chapters that ‘cover’ her subject and ‘weave the story。’ More specifically， she deals with: （1） Fibers in the Cave: The Origins of Weaving， （2） Dead Men’s Shroud: Wrapping and Unwrapping Mummies， （3） Gifts and Horses: Silk in Ancient China， （4） Cities that Silk Built: The Silk Roads， （5） Surf Dragons: The Vikings Woolen Sails， （6） A King’s Ransom: Wool in Medieval England， （7） Diamonds and the Ruff: Lace and Luxury， （8） Solomon’s Coats: Cotton， America and Trade， （9） Layering in Extremis: Clothing to Conquer Everest and the South Pole， （10） Workers in the Factory: Rayon’s Dark Past， （11） Under Pressure: Suites Suitable for Space， （12） Harder， Better， Faster， Stronger: Record Breaking Sports Fabrics， （13） The Golder Cape: Harnessing Spider Silk。 There is also a concluding chapter ‘Golden Threads: A Coda’ as well as helpful Acknowledgements， Glossary， Notes， Bibliography， and Index sections。My favorite parts include those when St。 Clair uses poetic and literary allusions and descriptors starting early on in the book。 For instance， in the Introduction she offers the explanation of the 3 fates of Greek mythology that create a person’s life thread with a beginning， middle and end （each a story line） affected by forces and woven into the culture。 I was also particularly interested in the evolution of weaving from a household activity to business and industry （see Robertson’s "Essays in Medieval Culture （Princeton Legacy Library）" and Khanna’s "The Future Is Asian" for more on the silk road）。 Then， there is the development of synthetic textiles leading eventually to global sourcing （see Khanna’s "Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization"）。 The prominence of women in this movement both empowering and exploitative comes through the narrative （see also Paglia’s "Free Women， Free Men: Sex， Gender， Feminism"）。 The observation that we have reached the point of having disposable clothing and the need for environmental consumers to turn the tide against that trend was revelatory。 Having been a swimmer and had aerospace business familiarity， it was fun to read the author’s accounts regarding those and other high-performance fabric applications。From a personal stance， I would have liked more on the fabric business and individual sewing which has now become more of an art form in the developed countries。 Some charts about the economics and additional illustrations would have been useful as well。 Textbooks like “Going Global: The Textile and Apparel Industry” by Kunz et al may be useful sources in that regard， but obviously do not have the charm and artistic quality of St。 Clairs’ presentation。For those with such interests and tastes， this book is clearly worth your attention。 。。。more
Leila Pitchford
，
So close to great bookFirst thing to know， the glossary， notes and index take up a full third of the book。 Second， the chapters are uneven in quality but each has interesting information。 Each is on a specific type of fabric， linen， cotton， wool， different synthetics， working up to technology of fabrics in space and in sports。 A quick look at how fabric - often overlooked in academic study - has changed human life for good and bad throughout history。
Helen
，
This was an interesting read through the fabrics of history。 The bits of thread we hear about in mystery stories become historical clues on the floors of caves。 The earliest history still doesn't answer how we learned to twist fibres and make fabric but we do come closer。 We cover linen， wool and silk。 Cotton comes in and out and we meet the golden orb spider and its incredible thread。 I knew about the spider silk cape and the way they get silk from spiders。 Old books used to talk about using sp This was an interesting read through the fabrics of history。 The bits of thread we hear about in mystery stories become historical clues on the floors of caves。 The earliest history still doesn't answer how we learned to twist fibres and make fabric but we do come closer。 We cover linen， wool and silk。 Cotton comes in and out and we meet the golden orb spider and its incredible thread。 I knew about the spider silk cape and the way they get silk from spiders。 Old books used to talk about using spider webs as wound dressings and apparently it is quite true。The book was interesting to read but it would have been a real winner if the type face used for the footnotes had been enough larger that I could read the numbers and if there had been some photographic illustrations the book would have been a real hit。 How can you write about translucent linen and not show Egyptian hieroglyphs， wool and not show us what Lincoln Green and Lincoln Scarlet are， or the orb spider and not show the cape？ 。。。more
Tina
，
From the linen used to wrap mummies to the wool used to make Viking sails to astronauts' space suits to Arctic explorers who froze rather than wearing furs -- this book was full of weird information that I don't need to know， but I'm really glad I learned。 Thanks Heather for the recommendation！ From the linen used to wrap mummies to the wool used to make Viking sails to astronauts' space suits to Arctic explorers who froze rather than wearing furs -- this book was full of weird information that I don't need to know， but I'm really glad I learned。 Thanks Heather for the recommendation！ 。。。more
Marné Yates
，
I love the idea of this book， and I want to learn more about many of the parts of history that were touched on， but a lot of the interesting parts seemed prematurely cut-off or unfinished。 It didn't draw me in like I expected it to。 Also， it makes no sense to me why there were no photographs included， especially with the subject matter and the things that were covered。 I love the idea of this book， and I want to learn more about many of the parts of history that were touched on， but a lot of the interesting parts seemed prematurely cut-off or unfinished。 It didn't draw me in like I expected it to。 Also， it makes no sense to me why there were no photographs included， especially with the subject matter and the things that were covered。 。。。more
Cat
，
Initially I thought this would be mildly interesting and might， in fact， help me with my insomnia。 I was wrong on both counts。 I do work with fabrics in my hobbies but I did not consider their history nor the impact they had on human history。 The author is clear that this is not an all-inclusive text but it is enough to make me look at fabric in a different light。 My review sounds boring， which is how I perceived the book before reading。 Ignore this， take a look at the book for yourself。 Just as Initially I thought this would be mildly interesting and might， in fact， help me with my insomnia。 I was wrong on both counts。 I do work with fabrics in my hobbies but I did not consider their history nor the impact they had on human history。 The author is clear that this is not an all-inclusive text but it is enough to make me look at fabric in a different light。 My review sounds boring， which is how I perceived the book before reading。 Ignore this， take a look at the book for yourself。 Just as a side note， I usually read mysteries， spy novels， and historical fiction。 Why this was in my recommended reading is a mystery to me。 I will be getting the authors other book as well。 。。。more
Francesca Rosa
，
Lo studio dei tessuti è ritenuto da molti una materia di secondo piano， eppure la possibilità di estrarre filo e tessere è stata la più grande che l'uomo potesse fare。 Se siete curiosi di scoprire come tutto è nato e ha cambiato e plasmato la nostra storia questo libro è un interessante punto di partenza。 Si parte dalla preistoria per atterrare alle fibre tecnologiche per le tute spaziali e lo sport。 La scrittura è leggera e la traduzione molto valida。 Forse un po' impegnativa la scelta dei mate Lo studio dei tessuti è ritenuto da molti una materia di secondo piano， eppure la possibilità di estrarre filo e tessere è stata la più grande che l'uomo potesse fare。 Se siete curiosi di scoprire come tutto è nato e ha cambiato e plasmato la nostra storia questo libro è un interessante punto di partenza。 Si parte dalla preistoria per atterrare alle fibre tecnologiche per le tute spaziali e lo sport。 La scrittura è leggera e la traduzione molto valida。 Forse un po' impegnativa la scelta dei materiali: copertina rigida e carta spessa， ne fanno un libro prezioso ma molto pesante。 。。。more
Phylwil
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There sure could have been more about how fabric actually affected history， although some of the technology involved in creating new fabrics was interesting。
Rebecca Forster
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I write thrillers。 I read thrillers。 I am used to a fast-paced fictional book， so a nonfiction book is really out of my wheelhouse。 However， I am also an avid seamstress。 My house is filled with fabric so my husband gifted me The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History。 It took me a long while to read this wonderful book because I wanted to savor each page。 I adored the author's use of chronology。 I was inspired by the quotes that opened each segment。 What I really， truly loved was that the a I write thrillers。 I read thrillers。 I am used to a fast-paced fictional book， so a nonfiction book is really out of my wheelhouse。 However， I am also an avid seamstress。 My house is filled with fabric so my husband gifted me The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History。 It took me a long while to read this wonderful book because I wanted to savor each page。 I adored the author's use of chronology。 I was inspired by the quotes that opened each segment。 What I really， truly loved was that the author used the history of fabric to give me a better understanding of religious practices， sociology， politics， war， peace and how integral fabric was to the wealth of individuals and countries around the world。 When I read the last page I felt smarter and I was in awe of our ancestors。 I am curious about scientists who continue to work on creating the perfect fabric。 My only disappointment was that the chapters on space and athletics did not feel quite as rich as the others。 Highly recommended to anyone who liked to read history and those of us who simply love fabric。 。。。more
David
，
Everything you ever wanted to know about fabrics， from the linen that entombed mummies to the space-age fabrics astronauts wore on the Moon。 Lots of detail conveyed in lighthearted and enjoyable writing。 St。 Clair notes early in the book that fabric is so important to us that its jargon pervades our language。 She then uses words like Material， Pressing， Woven， Threaded， Embroidered throughout the book， with a smile on her face no doubt。
Kathy
，
This book was a good read on a subject which seems rarely addressed as an overall history。 Thread and fabric literally cover our lives。 There's so much of it in the modern world as to make it almost invisible to most people's attention。 Its one of humanity's oldest technologies whose development can be traced back to at least the stone age。 It's also around most of the world associated with "women's work"。 It used to be most women spent at least part of their day weaving to keep their families c This book was a good read on a subject which seems rarely addressed as an overall history。 Thread and fabric literally cover our lives。 There's so much of it in the modern world as to make it almost invisible to most people's attention。 Its one of humanity's oldest technologies whose development can be traced back to at least the stone age。 It's also around most of the world associated with "women's work"。 It used to be most women spent at least part of their day weaving to keep their families clothed。 Cloth was expensive and time consuming to make and many items like silk were also rare outside China。 It took tremendous skill and many generations of learning to weave the the fabrics of old and this time consuming task was one of the first to be mechanised when times started changing with modern technology。 This book takes us through the history of natural fabrics - Linen & cotton and then onto modern fabrics like viscose and into how things like space suits are made - and its not quite as high tech as you might think。There are no photos in this book which will be off-putting for some readers but nevertheless I found this a thoughtful look at how fabric and thread are intertwined in human history。 。。。more
Westerville
，
If you want an in-depth， wonderful dive into the where's and why's of how what your are wearing changed the face of history， then you should read this。 It was interesting， fascinating， and I kept grabbing people nearby to regale them with tidbits。 - Jessica， Adult ServicesReserve a library copy If you want an in-depth， wonderful dive into the where's and why's of how what your are wearing changed the face of history， then you should read this。 It was interesting， fascinating， and I kept grabbing people nearby to regale them with tidbits。 - Jessica， Adult ServicesReserve a library copy 。。。more
Jessica
，
If you want an in-depth， wonderful dive into the where's and why's of how what your are wearing changed the face of history， then you should read this。 It was interesting， fascinating， and I kept grabbing people nearby to regale them with tidbits。 If you want an in-depth， wonderful dive into the where's and why's of how what your are wearing changed the face of history， then you should read this。 It was interesting， fascinating， and I kept grabbing people nearby to regale them with tidbits。 。。。more
Adeliese Baumann
，
Having enjoyed St Clair's 'Secret Life of Colors' so much， I looked forward to reading this book。The author invites us all to explore the role that textiles play in the human experience。 However， stepping back from my own intense interest in the subject， I am not entirely sure this book would appeal to a general audience。 But if simply contemplating spinning， sericulture， sumptuary laws and the like makes your heart beat a little faster， as it does mine， I recommend it highly。 St Clair creates t Having enjoyed St Clair's 'Secret Life of Colors' so much， I looked forward to reading this book。The author invites us all to explore the role that textiles play in the human experience。 However， stepping back from my own intense interest in the subject， I am not entirely sure this book would appeal to a general audience。 But if simply contemplating spinning， sericulture， sumptuary laws and the like makes your heart beat a little faster， as it does mine， I recommend it highly。 St Clair creates thirteen self-contained chapters about textiles。 This is not a comprehensive history， nor does it pretend to be。 Subjects include the origins of weaving， mummy wrappings， silk in ancient China， cities of the Silk Road， Viking sails， the wool industry of medieval England， luxury fabrics， cotton in America， clothing for Everest and the Antarctic， rayon workers， space suits， high performance sports fabrics， and spider silk。 Having read many histories with an exclusively feminine （and sometimes feminist） slant， speaking of the so-called 'consolations of the needle' and drudgery of 'women's work，' I found this book added a more modern and expansive viewpoint。 The best thing about the book is that it leaves you wanting more。 It is definitely not a comprehensive or encyclopedic text， which should be obvious from its length， nor is it meant to be。 One might study any number of additional considerations from a given chapter。 But isn't that always one of the great joys of reading well-written history？ I'm grateful there are authors like St Clair write so meaningfully about a subject which for many of us is nothing less than an obsession。 。。。more
Kate
，
I have been crocheting for some time now， first as a way to to occupy my hands during conference calls， and then because I enjoy making things that have use: potholders， pillows， sweaters。 During this pandemic， I also decided to learn to knit， and out of curiosity began repairing a spinning wheel in my parent's house。 It's in working order now， but I still have to figure out how to spin it。 That said， I have really begun investigating fibers and fabric and how people can create things out so man I have been crocheting for some time now， first as a way to to occupy my hands during conference calls， and then because I enjoy making things that have use: potholders， pillows， sweaters。 During this pandemic， I also decided to learn to knit， and out of curiosity began repairing a spinning wheel in my parent's house。 It's in working order now， but I still have to figure out how to spin it。 That said， I have really begun investigating fibers and fabric and how people can create things out so many different materials， so of course this book leapt out at me。St。 Clair sets an ambitious task for herself， to give a history and accounting of fabric and the many ways it has impacted our society。 She does a wonderful job of making sure to include all different types of fabric， their origins， and how they are made， and I greatly appreciate her attention to detail and inclusion of non-Western sources。 From ancient times， looking at what is sometimes only an impression of fabric， or the outline of where a loom stood， she explains how integral fabric is to everything we do。 Economies are built on it， people have fought for it， it has stood for rebellion and liberty， been indicative of class and race and gender， in short， it is everywhere in our culture。The book reviews ways in which fabric has influenced literature （including the Star Gauge poem and the Robin Hood legends）， space exploration （where women's undergarments significantly impacted space suit design）， and sports ethics （should wearing an advanced fabric costume be equated with doping？）。 For the curious， St。 Clair provides a great overview of how many fabrics are made， from fiber or chemicals to finished products。 One section I found incredibly relevant to today's conversations on race was the chapter dealing with enslaved people in pre-abolition America and how they dressed， or what clothing was made available to them。 You can view the structure of institutional racism in slavers' obsession with costs to dress their slaves， how they used those cheap fabrics to identify runaway slaves， and the ways in which society viewed the dress of Black people based on dress。 Many ads for runaways slaves are quoted here， and you can see how fixated on clothes as identification the slavers were， probably because they couldn't be bothered to actually look at the people they were enslaving。The chapter on creating space-safe fabric for astronauts was difficult， I think it was the first time I've read much about early space exploration and preparation for it。 The number of deaths that occurred before a successful mission was achieved was shocking to me。 But I was also shocked by the way in which the teams creating the space suits hired women to do the complicated construction， and then joked about them being nothing but a group of ladies gossiping during a sewing circle。 It's emblematic of how men view fabric work as gendered。 Despite the fact that the women who did the sewing were essentially engineers of fabric， the NASA engineers rarely credited them （in fact， I don't think any of the women were named in this section either）。 There's a lot of digest here， culturally and scientifically。 I will probably come back to this volume in the future。 。。。more
Mitzi Harris
，
A fascinating revelationI like nonfiction that expands my understanding of the world and this book did just that， awakening my understanding to the powerful role textiles have played in human development。 Well-organized and well-written， using interesting anecdotes to unfold each chapter， this book was an unexpected pleasure。
Shobha
，
An excellent introduction to a range of natural and fabricated fibers。
amberle
，
Libro super interessante， l'ho trovato persino più gradevole de L'atlante sentimentale dei colori （della stessa autrice）。Nella prima parte si esaminano i diversi tipi di tessuti e la loro storia （lino， seta， lana。。。 ma anche fibre moderne）， con cenni a proposito del processo produttivo， mentre nella seconda si approfondisce il ruolo fondamentale che hanno avuto i tessuti nelle grandi imprese （riuscite o meno） dell'Umanità， dall'alpinismo estremo ai viaggi nello spazio。Non fatevi ingannare dal mi Libro super interessante， l'ho trovato persino più gradevole de L'atlante sentimentale dei colori （della stessa autrice）。Nella prima parte si esaminano i diversi tipi di tessuti e la loro storia （lino， seta， lana。。。 ma anche fibre moderne）， con cenni a proposito del processo produttivo， mentre nella seconda si approfondisce il ruolo fondamentale che hanno avuto i tessuti nelle grandi imprese （riuscite o meno） dell'Umanità， dall'alpinismo estremo ai viaggi nello spazio。Non fatevi ingannare dal mio lungo tempo di lettura， dovuto ad un periodo di pochissimo tempo libero， in realtà è molto scorrevole e si legge velocemente。Ottimo。 。。。more
Alexandra
，
This is a wonderful book， looking at what is fabric， how it was discovered， it's historical importance， fabric as a status symbol， a key driver of trade between nations and an enabler of travel， discovery and record breaking。 Beautifully researched and written， this enchanting book will fascinate you This is a wonderful book， looking at what is fabric， how it was discovered， it's historical importance， fabric as a status symbol， a key driver of trade between nations and an enabler of travel， discovery and record breaking。 Beautifully researched and written， this enchanting book will fascinate you 。。。more
Christine
，
Really should be 4。5 stars because it’s all history and fascinating to a fabric nerd like me。 There were places where I thought the story went on too long， too much detail， so I just wanted to move on。 However， it’s history and science and it all needs to be acknowledged and explained and the author does that very well。 Information in each chapter is carefully and logically presented， often with accompanying stories。 I liked the line drawings that defined each topic， too。
Liz
，
Even for an overview， there is a lot to cover on this topic， so not everybody will be satisfied。 Nonetheless， I found a quantity of subjects not addressed by other authors， including respected academicians like Elizabeth W。 Barber。And， the author did us the favor of providing a glossary， endnotes and a bibliography， things that sadly， are lacking in too many books today。 It gives me a chance to follow up in more depth on some of her chapter topics。She also endeared herself to me by covering some Even for an overview， there is a lot to cover on this topic， so not everybody will be satisfied。 Nonetheless， I found a quantity of subjects not addressed by other authors， including respected academicians like Elizabeth W。 Barber。And， the author did us the favor of providing a glossary， endnotes and a bibliography， things that sadly， are lacking in too many books today。 It gives me a chance to follow up in more depth on some of her chapter topics。She also endeared herself to me by covering some real outliers in fabric technology and manufacture， such as， the spacesuits used in the Mercury， Apollo and ISS missions， the evolution of sports fabrics （a book in itself， I’m sure）， and very strange stuff like spider silk fabrics and the attempts to commercialize them。And just as a small easter egg for those interested， here is a link to the YouTube video on the weaving and embroidery of a spider silk cape。 Absolutely amazing！https://youtu。be/Fv1qq6ypiTk 。。。more
Rach
，
Fascinating book， loads of interesting stories。 Many of which I had never heard before。 The sections about Mount Everest and the space suit were brilliant。There are some major factual errors which other reviewers have picked up， but it didn’t stop my enjoyment of the main narrative。
Alison
，
I assigned this for virtual reading group for one of my classes and we all enjoyed it。 Every student was assigned a chapter to lead discussion during pandemic separation。 St。 Clair writes about academic topics in a breezy easy-to follow style （more like reading an article in a popular magazine instead of a textbook） so no one complained。 It was nice to have a physical book to read instead of doing everything online， and the stories are very well researched。 I would assign this again with a new g I assigned this for virtual reading group for one of my classes and we all enjoyed it。 Every student was assigned a chapter to lead discussion during pandemic separation。 St。 Clair writes about academic topics in a breezy easy-to follow style （more like reading an article in a popular magazine instead of a textbook） so no one complained。 It was nice to have a physical book to read instead of doing everything online， and the stories are very well researched。 I would assign this again with a new group。 。。。more
Giselle Geddes
，
Easy to read， interesting and informative。 Plenty of anecdotes to illustrate the points being made， but many of the quotations used seem shoehorned in as they are never mentioned in the main text。 Likewise the last chapter on gold cloth seems flimsy and out of place as some time has been spent talking about gold thread in the lace section。 Illustrations would have been very helpful too。 Overall though， an enjoyable book and gets you thinking about textiles and the clothes you wear/buy。
Aimee Leonhard
，
Very interesting。 More of a series of essays arranged in chronological order rather than a single narrative。 I really enjoyed it。
Azaleah Mohd Anis
，
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has even the slightest interest in textiles - whether you sew， knit， crochet， are interested in fashion， champion sustainable through reducing textile waste， or what have you。 I loved The Secret Lives of Colour， so when I learnt Kassia St。 Clair was writing another book， this time on fabric， I was so excited to read it， especially because this coincided with the time I decided to start making my own clothes。 I’ve always been interested in textiles， and I highly recommend this book to anyone who has even the slightest interest in textiles - whether you sew， knit， crochet， are interested in fashion， champion sustainable through reducing textile waste， or what have you。 I loved The Secret Lives of Colour， so when I learnt Kassia St。 Clair was writing another book， this time on fabric， I was so excited to read it， especially because this coincided with the time I decided to start making my own clothes。 I’ve always been interested in textiles， and growing up I had a vague understanding of what was good fabric and especially which fabrics were worth the money。 Reading this book and learning to make clothes has given me a deeper appreciation for the work that goes into making textiles， and how they can be manipulated into something to wear。 。。。more
Connie
，
A really great introduction to some textile history！ I’m an avid sewist who enjoys fashion history， and I felt like I came away from this book with lots of cool facts （mind is still blown over the woolen sails） and a thirst to continue learning about textiles。I do agree that there were some times I felt that she spent a little too long focusing on timelines and some points where she focused more on weaving a story than on presenting facts and information， but overall a really enjoyable read。
Karen Strombach
，
It is an interesting book about the history of how fabric lead to change in the world。 The need and want for everything from Ships sails to the luxury of silk。
William Howle
，
A very interesting book with touches on various aspects of textiles history。 Growing up in the South where every large or small town had a textile mill of some type from yarn spinning， weaving， knitting to nonwovens， I have seen it dwindle away as it moved overseas for cheaper labor。 A history of US textiles by state would be an interesting read。 The migration of textiles from New England to the South is a story in its self and the mill villages that sprung up is another story。
Robbin Golden
，