The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World
- Downloads：9976
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-03 08:16:25
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Virginia Postrel
- ISBN：1541617622
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
From Neanderthal string to 3D knitting， an “expansive” global history that highlights “how textiles truly changed the world” （Wall Street Journal）The story of humanity is the story of textiles—as old as civilization itself。 Since the first thread was spun， the need for textiles has driven technology， business， politics， and culture。
In The Fabric of Civilization， Virginia Postrel synthesizes groundbreaking research from archaeology， economics， and science to reveal a surprising history。 From Minoans exporting wool colored with precious purple dye to Egypt， to Romans arrayed in costly Chinese silk， the cloth trade paved the crossroads of the ancient world。 Textiles funded the Renaissance and the Mughal Empire; they gave us banks and bookkeeping， Michelangelo’s David and the Taj Mahal。 The cloth business spread the alphabet and arithmetic， propelled chemical research， and taught people to think in binary code。
Assiduously researched and deftly narrated， The Fabric of Civilization tells the story of the world’s most influential commodity。
“We are taken on a journey as epic， and varying， as the Silk Road itself。… [The Fabric of Civilization is] like a swatch of a Florentine Renaissance brocade: carefully woven， the technique precise， the colors a mix of shade and shine and an accurate representation of the whole cloth。"
—New York Times
“Textile-making hasn’t gotten enough credit for its own sophistication， and for all the ways it undergirds human technological innovation—an error Virginia Postrel’s erudite and complete book goes a long way toward correcting at last。”
—Wired
In The Fabric of Civilization， Virginia Postrel synthesizes groundbreaking research from archaeology， economics， and science to reveal a surprising history。 From Minoans exporting wool colored with precious purple dye to Egypt， to Romans arrayed in costly Chinese silk， the cloth trade paved the crossroads of the ancient world。 Textiles funded the Renaissance and the Mughal Empire; they gave us banks and bookkeeping， Michelangelo’s David and the Taj Mahal。 The cloth business spread the alphabet and arithmetic， propelled chemical research， and taught people to think in binary code。
Assiduously researched and deftly narrated， The Fabric of Civilization tells the story of the world’s most influential commodity。
“We are taken on a journey as epic， and varying， as the Silk Road itself。… [The Fabric of Civilization is] like a swatch of a Florentine Renaissance brocade: carefully woven， the technique precise， the colors a mix of shade and shine and an accurate representation of the whole cloth。"
—New York Times
“Textile-making hasn’t gotten enough credit for its own sophistication， and for all the ways it undergirds human technological innovation—an error Virginia Postrel’s erudite and complete book goes a long way toward correcting at last。”
—Wired
Reviews
bella
，
One of the most interesting books I’ve ever read！ I only wish I had seen it before or during writing my thesis since she brings up so many unique and incredible examples。Since finishing I’ve bought my own mini loom so I can understand just a bit better。
Jessica Whitworth
，
The Fabric of Civilization introduces the fascinating history of textiles， covering science， economics， history and culture， with interesting insight into how textile development and innovation could influence our lives in the future。 My favourite book I’ve read this year。
Jocelyn Mel
，
Loved this book。 It changed my way of thinking about tech change and history of women。 Brilliant and detailed。
June
，
Really interesting exploration of the technological advances in fabric throughout human history。 These advancements have been so useful and necessary that eventually they just became part of everyday life， occasionally sending history into different directions。Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review。
Thomas Bader
，
Interesting material and competently written。 It’s easy to take basic things we use everyday （things such as textiles） for granted。 This book provides some needed appreciation。
Linda Gaines
，
Fantastic book。 Well written， interesting。 There are so many "so that's where that came from" moments in this book。 I learned so much than I thought I would reading this book。 Fantastic book。 Well written， interesting。 There are so many "so that's where that came from" moments in this book。 I learned so much than I thought I would reading this book。 。。。more
Jenia
，
I guess because I've read several of these types of books before， I'm getting kinda picky with them。 It isn't bad， but I wasn't blown away either。 I guess I'm actually just not that interested in the science aspects haha。 I did like how each chapter ended with a visit to a related modern facility。 I guess because I've read several of these types of books before， I'm getting kinda picky with them。 It isn't bad， but I wasn't blown away either。 I guess I'm actually just not that interested in the science aspects haha。 I did like how each chapter ended with a visit to a related modern facility。 。。。more
Howard Gibbins
，
This book is without a doubt absolutely fascinating， it takes you on a guided tour through history of how textiles of all kinds were discovered， and developed。 The first three chapters look at how fibres were developed， how the spinning industry made these into threads， then goes on to how cloth was made and how it developed throughout history。After we humans had cloth Ms。 Postrel goes on to examine the process of dyeing and the methods that were used historically， and then right up to modern da This book is without a doubt absolutely fascinating， it takes you on a guided tour through history of how textiles of all kinds were discovered， and developed。 The first three chapters look at how fibres were developed， how the spinning industry made these into threads， then goes on to how cloth was made and how it developed throughout history。After we humans had cloth Ms。 Postrel goes on to examine the process of dyeing and the methods that were used historically， and then right up to modern day。 She then moves on to looking at trading and how that affected the world over。 This is a topic which is frequently and unfortunately glossed over in school as they typically mention only "The Silk Road"， but trade was widespread throughout the world， and it is a shame that students aren't taught this type of thing， as maybe then they would have more of an appreciation of how the world works。After trade her next focus is on consumers and how they see fabrics， how they guide the industry and influence changes in the market （and vice versa as well）。The last chapter deals with the innovators that are currently developing new and what I consider to be amazing fabrics。 Such as ones that will allow sweat to easily evaporate from your skin thereby keeping your cool， but will also protect you from UV radiation。 New fabrics， and new techniques that will result in a revolution in the fashion industry and the environment （for the better， I'm glad to note） when some of these hit the market。An excellent book， highly recommended。 。。。more
Darlene Chalker
，
Listened to this while putting together my first loom and setting up my first weaving project。 Inspiring and informative。
Kevin Postlewaite
，
Even better than I expected。 Went into more technical detail than I expected （which is really appreciated） and went farther than I expected in discussing the technological forefront of textile fibers。
Trey Hunner
，
This was a really interesting read/listen （audiobook as usual）， mostly because I knew/know so little about textiles and their long history。 I've never considered how crucial they were/are to humanity and I very much taller then for granted （and it's so easy to now that they're so cheap）。 This was a really interesting read/listen （audiobook as usual）， mostly because I knew/know so little about textiles and their long history。 I've never considered how crucial they were/are to humanity and I very much taller then for granted （and it's so easy to now that they're so cheap）。 。。。more
Brenda
，
I really enjoyed this tour of the history of textiles。 We tend not to think about how important textiles are to survival--we need to wear clothes--and this book helps show how that need， coupled with our desire to display our bodies to advantage socially， sexually， and economically， has been met throughout history and driven a great deal of invention。 This is the second book by Virginia Postrel I've read， and I appreciate her synthetic thinking; it's a delight to read her prose。 I really enjoyed this tour of the history of textiles。 We tend not to think about how important textiles are to survival--we need to wear clothes--and this book helps show how that need， coupled with our desire to display our bodies to advantage socially， sexually， and economically， has been met throughout history and driven a great deal of invention。 This is the second book by Virginia Postrel I've read， and I appreciate her synthetic thinking; it's a delight to read her prose。 。。。more
A。L。 Sowards
，
This book was so interesting！ I wouldn’t have picked it up for a listen if I didn’t think I would enjoy it （despite many childhood memories of boring-for-me trips to the fabric store with my mother）， but it was even better than expected。 The book was arranged by topic， so one chapter was on weaving and another on dyeing and another on trade。 In our day and age， it’s easy to forget how much work used to go into each piece of clothing， bedding， or sail。 But having adequate textiles was once someth This book was so interesting！ I wouldn’t have picked it up for a listen if I didn’t think I would enjoy it （despite many childhood memories of boring-for-me trips to the fabric store with my mother）， but it was even better than expected。 The book was arranged by topic， so one chapter was on weaving and another on dyeing and another on trade。 In our day and age， it’s easy to forget how much work used to go into each piece of clothing， bedding， or sail。 But having adequate textiles was once something that required enormous amounts of time。 The quest for textiles has sparked wars， forged new trade routes， pushed new forms of accounting， and maybe even inspired some early mathematics （weavers needed to identify prime numbers because those warp threads wouldn’t be lifted when working on patterns）。 If you like nonfiction history or love fabric， I recommend this one。Rounding up a bit to 5 stars。 。。。more
Adelaide
，
Truly fascinating， especially sumptuary laws！
Jeremy
，
What a delightful book。 The writing is engaging， and it was surprisingly satisfying to learn of the many ways that fibre， dying， and textiles have driven crucial innovations that reach all aspects of our lives beyond fashion。 Unexpectedly: in engineering， chemistry， algorithms/code， banking， military， and more。 And even with all that history， starting to understand that the story is far from over; that this is a field with much innovation and impact yet to come。。。 a real pleasure。
Jeff Gabriel
，
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'
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
Excellent summary of the contributions that textile technology made to human development。 Readable， interesting。
Dogsandbooks
，
Incredibly important history of technology and how it affected civilization。 Bringing the hidden in plain sight into the open。 Libby via Brighton
Chris Demer
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
Excellent technological and social history of the cloth we surround ourselves with every day and therefore take for granted。
Signora
，
Fascinating historical account of the role textiles played in the developing of civilization。 Read for an Omnilore class。
Shelly
，
I learned quite a bit about textiles all over the world from this book。
Carmen
，
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
，