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Worn: A People's History of Clothing

Worn: A People's History of Clothing

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  • Create Date：2022-02-18 07:51:32
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Sofi Thanhauser
  • ISBN：0241389534
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Summary

A finely spun history of clothes and where they come from

Linen， Cotton， Silk， Synthetics， Wool: through the stories of these five fabrics， Sofi Thanhauser illuminates the world we inhabit in a startling new way， travelling from China to Cumbria to reveal the craft， labour and industry that create the clothes we wear。

From the women who transformed stalks of flax into linen to clothe their families in 19th century New England to those who earn their dowries in the cotton spinning factories of South India today， this book traces the origins of garment making through time and around the world。 Exploring the social， economic and environmental impact of our most personal possessions， Worn looks beyond care labels to show how clothes reveal the truth about what we really care about。

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Reviews

Paul Taylor ，

If you are interested in fashion， art， history， environment， sociology or all of the preceding you should read this book。 Fashion is a globally dominant industry born on the back of native traditions and processes。 The power of the global brand is in the ascendency but is that sustainable？ Arguably not。

Brian Asalone ，

interesting。 traces the origins of clothing creation through the ages and delves into the cost to the environment and the workers for our modern clothing market。 A little slow at times and a bit quixotic at the end but overall good。

CPE ，

Worn by Sofi Thanhauser confronts us with the awful realities of the textile industry， uncovering a world where the people who make our clothes now are seldom paid what they deserve and are often harmed by the industry。 The book has sections on linen， cotton， silk， synthetics and wool。 As she explains， “… the history and reportage [this book] contains is weighted towards understanding the U。S。’s role in building a global garment trade that touches every corner of the world。” Although it's defini Worn by Sofi Thanhauser confronts us with the awful realities of the textile industry， uncovering a world where the people who make our clothes now are seldom paid what they deserve and are often harmed by the industry。 The book has sections on linen， cotton， silk， synthetics and wool。 As she explains， “… the history and reportage [this book] contains is weighted towards understanding the U。S。’s role in building a global garment trade that touches every corner of the world。” Although it's definitely US-centric， part of the section on wool describes the author’s visit to Woolfest in Cumbia one year。The book is not a light read。 Although the narrative is mostly about Thanhauser’s visits to factories; people’s homes; and workplaces， it is very fact-heavy and depressing reading。 Cotton uses 8，500 litres of water to make 1Kg but wheat only needs 900 litres。 About 24 per cent of the world’s insecticide is used for cotton farming， polluting water supplies。 A pair of jeans uses 20，000 litres of water – the amount that could be used to grow the wheat needed to bake a loaf of bread every week for a year。It's unlikely that anyone looking for cheap clothing on the UK high streets has any idea of the human activity （and suffering and exploitation）。 It might also be unlikely that they care。#Worn #NetGalley 。。。more

Lisa Wright ，

The history of modern civilization and the history of clothing are closely interwoven。 Five fibers， linen， cotton， silk， rayon and wool， each changed the world in myriad ways。 One thing becomes clear as you read， women got the short end of the stick every time。 Women were the original fiber workers， but as some technology made scaling up possible， the work was taken over by men。 Until the scaling up led to factories where women were paid less and endured more than men。Thanhauser is thorough and The history of modern civilization and the history of clothing are closely interwoven。 Five fibers， linen， cotton， silk， rayon and wool， each changed the world in myriad ways。 One thing becomes clear as you read， women got the short end of the stick every time。 Women were the original fiber workers， but as some technology made scaling up possible， the work was taken over by men。 Until the scaling up led to factories where women were paid less and endured more than men。Thanhauser is thorough and fascinating but the history is so grim that it makes for hard going。 。。。more

Gretchen ，

Loved this book， but wish the author’s politics could have been less obvious。 If you love to sew and appreciate good fabrics， workmanship and creative clothing designs， this book is for you。 If you love the study of human history in general， this book is for you too。

Angela ，

Very informative book，which explains everything from how all different types of materials are produced right up to them being made。 It makes you appreciate the clothes we have。

Sarah Connor ，

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book。 This is a non-fiction book that's as gripping as a novel。 It's also a life-changing book。 It looks at the clothing industry， taking a range of different fabrics as its starting place and then examining their production as fabrics and subsequent manufacture into clothing。 It looks at the ecological impact of fabric production and the social and labour history of the garment industry。 it's very sobering。 It blew lots of my assumptions out of th Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book。 This is a non-fiction book that's as gripping as a novel。 It's also a life-changing book。 It looks at the clothing industry， taking a range of different fabrics as its starting place and then examining their production as fabrics and subsequent manufacture into clothing。 It looks at the ecological impact of fabric production and the social and labour history of the garment industry。 it's very sobering。 It blew lots of my assumptions out of the water。 It has completely changed my attitude to buying clothes。 I'd previously thought clothes shopping was a pretty personal affair - this book has opened my eyes to the social and political ramifications of my purchases， as well as the ecological impact of throwaway clothing。 Everybody should read this book。 。。。more

Pickle。 ，

3。75*

Lizzie ，

Fast fashion is become more and more a part of our conversations about climate change， ethical consumption and equality。 In Worn， Sofi Thanhauser takes us through centuries of humanity’s relationship to fabric and clothes， showing how society was shaped by our relationship to our clothing and vice versa。📚Find this and more reviews on my blog！📚This was a fascinating book， and a must-read for anyone interested in the textile industry or historical clothing。 No stone is left unturned; Thanhauser ta Fast fashion is become more and more a part of our conversations about climate change， ethical consumption and equality。 In Worn， Sofi Thanhauser takes us through centuries of humanity’s relationship to fabric and clothes， showing how society was shaped by our relationship to our clothing and vice versa。📚Find this and more reviews on my blog！📚This was a fascinating book， and a must-read for anyone interested in the textile industry or historical clothing。 No stone is left unturned; Thanhauser takes us in detail through all of the major fabrics used in clothing， the history of each， and our relationship with each。 It had never occurred to me to wonder about how linen was produced pre-industrial revolution for example， or how viscose was made。 Even things where we feel like we know more about the history of their production， such as cotton， there is so many ethical issues and human rights violations involved than is often discussed。As well as talking about the fabric production， Thanhauser also talks about how our relationship to clothing and fashion has changed， how the idea of the fashion season came about， and how we got to our designer-led industry today。 It’s a fascinating story and she does a brilliant job of telling it， taking us through history and around the world。 Some of the topics were explored perhaps a little too in-depth， taking us down the occasional rabbit hole that distracted from the main message of the book， but on the whole the variety of topics covered worked well together to give a comprehensive view。Overall this was a fascinating and timely read， and you will come away from it with a newfound knowledge and appreciation for your clothes and the work that has gone into them。Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free copy for review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Lady Fancifull ，

The only ethical option seems to be nudity – or evolving back into a hairy ape！As other’s have pointed out， this is less ‘A people’s history of clothing’ as the subtitle is sryled， more A people’s history of fabric’ – and as absorbing， if not more so， than the history of clothing I was expecting。Thanhauser’s no-punches-pulled analysis of the main fabrics in our clothing history – to wit， Linen， Cotton， Silk， Synthetics – both those plant derived – Rayon/Viscose， and petrochemical – Nylon and onw The only ethical option seems to be nudity – or evolving back into a hairy ape！As other’s have pointed out， this is less ‘A people’s history of clothing’ as the subtitle is sryled， more A people’s history of fabric’ – and as absorbing， if not more so， than the history of clothing I was expecting。Thanhauser’s no-punches-pulled analysis of the main fabrics in our clothing history – to wit， Linen， Cotton， Silk， Synthetics – both those plant derived – Rayon/Viscose， and petrochemical – Nylon and onwards， and finally， Wool – is written with a clear agenda。Thanhauser looks at the changes across history from fabric creation as a cottage industry， often carried out in the home by females， （weaving， spinning） and the construction of clothing as a highly skilled artisan craft （tailoring） to what happened following mechanisation and the Industrial Revolution。This is so searingly written a book about the ethics of the clothing industry， and its raw materials， textiles， and their creation， that I was surprised that this wasn’t a book published by Polity。This explores， damningly the politics of capital， the exploitation of labour， and， always， the easy greed with which our species dominates not only fellow humans， but also pillages and exploits other species， not to mention the planet itself， to satisfy present desires。By the end of the book， I seriously felt， despite Thanhauser’s attempt at indicating a way forward through the return of artisanal craft， as espoused in her section on Wool， that the only ethical solution would be nudity。 As this is not only not seen as acceptable， but， in North Europe probably unadvisable due to the climate。 Reversing evolution and growing a thick warm pelt is also not going to happen any time soon for our species。Each fabric， its social and industrial history is deconstructed， Our appetite for each fabric， and a culture dedicated to increasing consumerism， means environmental destruction。 ‘Natural fabrics’ are no less pitiless in their environmental and human cost than the synthetics， at least on industrial scale。 Cotton， with links of course to the slave trade， is a remarkably greedy of water crop， both in its growing， and in its turning to thread and fabric。The silk industry， at industrial scale， is cruel both to those who work in it， and cruel to the silkworm itself – Thanhauser absolutely does not shy away from describing how the caterpillars are despatched。And then， there is the toxic waste， the noxious fumes， the poisoned water supplies， the carbon footprint， the industrial accidents， in the factories where labour creates our synthetics。We pay less， far less for our clothes， only because in far off countries others labour for little。We have lost our own textile industry because we have been unwilling to pay more。 The exploited are in far off lands， so we don’t have to think about the real cost of our cheap clothingWool， which Thanhauser favours， because she looks at artisanal crafters， rescuing and promoting rare breeds， is of course also problematic at industrial megaheft。There are of course also problems for those on more modest incomes – artisanal fabrics， inevitably are at a price tag outside what many could affordI’m not quite certain where that happy medium is to be found This is an important and sobering book。 I have only dropped a star because the final ‘wrap’， where she goes a bit overboard almost on the metaphysics of fabric， seemed a bit contrived to me。 。。。more

Evie ，

I enjoy journals and diaries， which often have quite the emphasis on household fabrics and clothes， so when I saw Worn， I reckoned that it might give me a bit more insight into those areas of domestic life that so many women wrote about。Worn did give me that， and a whole lot more。 It is an absolutely fascinating read about the history of the textiles we use to clothe ourselves， and their true cost to those who produce them。 It goes right up to the present day， covering the results of our human d I enjoy journals and diaries， which often have quite the emphasis on household fabrics and clothes， so when I saw Worn， I reckoned that it might give me a bit more insight into those areas of domestic life that so many women wrote about。Worn did give me that， and a whole lot more。 It is an absolutely fascinating read about the history of the textiles we use to clothe ourselves， and their true cost to those who produce them。 It goes right up to the present day， covering the results of our human desire for ever-cheaper fabrics and throw-away fashion， and the ensuing social， economic and political effects。I found the whole book interesting and absorbing， I really enjoyed it， and I learnt a lot。 I had an advance reader copy of this， thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK， but it has now been published （it was a bit of a slow read for me， so I didn’t make it on time）。 。。。more

Annarella ，

This is a very interesting and informative history books as it talks about textiles and their impact on human history and the current world。We are used to think about hunters and gatherers but there's a moment when they started to wear cloth and weave。The book is divided into chapters， one for each of the main textiles and it also analyses the impact on on our current economy and ethics。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine This is a very interesting and informative history books as it talks about textiles and their impact on human history and the current world。We are used to think about hunters and gatherers but there's a moment when they started to wear cloth and weave。The book is divided into chapters， one for each of the main textiles and it also analyses the impact on on our current economy and ethics。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more

Nic ，

I was offered this book as an ARC by NetGalley。 I am studying textiles as part of a Creative Arts Degree which means I have read a number of books and articles on the history of a variety of fabrics。 Worn by Sofi Thanhauser is the best book I have read so far。 It not only gives a good overview of the history of the different classes of textile but the author has also visited sites where our textiles are made today。 It was these final sections on modern manufacture that are particularly insightfu I was offered this book as an ARC by NetGalley。 I am studying textiles as part of a Creative Arts Degree which means I have read a number of books and articles on the history of a variety of fabrics。 Worn by Sofi Thanhauser is the best book I have read so far。 It not only gives a good overview of the history of the different classes of textile but the author has also visited sites where our textiles are made today。 It was these final sections on modern manufacture that are particularly insightful and thought provoking。 。。。more

Katy Wheatley ，

I have been living a largely slow fashion life for years， first by necessity， then by choice。 The deluge of fast fashion and the enormous amount of harm it does to people and the environment is never far from my mind。 It can be hard to explain to people just how damaging fast fashion is and I think that Sofi Thanhauser does a brilliant job of investigating the history and the impact of how we make clothes and how they impact on the world。The first sections of the book are arranged by types of cl I have been living a largely slow fashion life for years， first by necessity， then by choice。 The deluge of fast fashion and the enormous amount of harm it does to people and the environment is never far from my mind。 It can be hard to explain to people just how damaging fast fashion is and I think that Sofi Thanhauser does a brilliant job of investigating the history and the impact of how we make clothes and how they impact on the world。The first sections of the book are arranged by types of cloth and how they have shaped what and how we wear what we wear。 As she traces the history of making， she arcs out into how cloth has always been a political animal。 Countries' fortunes rose and fell on the wool trade， for example。 She also examines slavery， both historical and contemporary and traces the true cost of where your clothing comes from。This is not an easy read。 The impact and damage is massive and some of the topics that she explores are extremely upsetting。 Once read， you will never think about the clothes you buy in the same way again。The last section offers slightly more hope as Thanhauser explores people who are shunning the great and complex machinery of fast fashion and who are going back to more communal ways of making。 I wanted to say simple， but the fact is that going back to making cloth and clothes the old fashioned way is far from simple and far from inexpensive， but it is fascinating and inspiring nonetheless。 。。。more

Krista ，

I originally went to college for fashion merchandising and I absolutely fell in love with the history of clothing， so this book was right up my alley。 I nerd out over this kind of thing。 I think the title is a little misleading if you don’t read the description， it isn’t really about clothing， it’s more about the textiles that make clothing。 But if you know anything about the history of fashion， you know that understanding the textiles is crucial to understanding why certain fashions came to be。 I originally went to college for fashion merchandising and I absolutely fell in love with the history of clothing， so this book was right up my alley。 I nerd out over this kind of thing。 I think the title is a little misleading if you don’t read the description， it isn’t really about clothing， it’s more about the textiles that make clothing。 But if you know anything about the history of fashion， you know that understanding the textiles is crucial to understanding why certain fashions came to be。 This is a truly expansive look at how fabrics were made and the effect they had on the region’s environment and the people living there。 I learned a ton， and also cemented certain views I have （boo fast fashion）。 This book really dove into how bad fast fashion is for the environment。 It didn’t shy at all away and I feel like more people need to know about it。 I don’t even know how to summarize this book because the breadth that it covers was insane。 I liked how the book was split into sections about each textile: linen， cotton， silk， synthetics and wool。 It made the density of information easier to digest。 。。。more

Yanique Gillana ，

4 starsI am grateful to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for sending me an advanced copy of this book for review。 This was a great nonfiction read。 When I read this synopsis of this book， I was very interested in seeing if the author was going to present the history of clothing in an interesting and accessible way; however， this book offers so much more。 What we get is a history of different regions of the world， woven together using the story of fabric。 Something we are so familiar with， and th 4 starsI am grateful to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for sending me an advanced copy of this book for review。 This was a great nonfiction read。 When I read this synopsis of this book， I was very interested in seeing if the author was going to present the history of clothing in an interesting and accessible way; however， this book offers so much more。 What we get is a history of different regions of the world， woven together using the story of fabric。 Something we are so familiar with， and that has been intimately linked to the progression of society and technology in different parts of the world throughout history。 The book is broken up into sections based on different types of fabric。 We start off with linen， and then we move into cotton， silk， synthetics， and finally wool 。 I found it interesting how the author was able to follow the history of a particular fabric from its initial emergence into human use， through industrialization and manufacturing， and showing how this affected the people directly involved with its production。 I also like that we explore how the industry surrounding garments has developed over time， and how the garment industry itself has led to so many socio-political changes。 I found this book very educational when it came to not only the way in which these fabrics are created， but also about the impact that garment manufacturing has on the environment， how garment manufacturing has grown overtime， and the technologies that developed directly related to garment manufacturing。 There is also important discussion of how the garment manufacturing industry was closely tied to the progression of women’s rights 。 The one issue I have with this book is that with the discussion of these different types of fabrics and the garment industry， some parts of the world were completely missing from the narrative 。 For example， Africa was mentioned briefly when the discussion of cotton was brought up but for the most part the garment industry， fabrics etc。 were not discussed at all with regard to the African continent。 Also， apart from speaking about the injustices that the garment industry forces onto certain countries in Central America in modern day， we really did not discuss Latin America either。 I feel like this book could have benefitted from having a truly global approach that included every region of the world， and not only focus so strongly on specific areas （particularly the United States， Western Europe， and East Asia）。 Overall， this was a great read， and I thought it was well written， researched， and accessible 。 It would be a good read for almost anyone who's interested in history。 I recommend this for people who are interested in world history and politics generally， and people who are interested in fashion and garment manufacturing specifically。 。。。more

Jenny H ，

A history of cloth rather than clothes。 Years ago， fabrics varied from region to region as people used local yarns and dyes to make traditional textiles。 Now everything is transported around the world and most clothes are made in factories in countries where labour is cheaper and there are no trade unions to help workers。 I remember a time when M&S proudly stated that most of their clothing was made in the UK。 No longer so。 This book is a potted history of why that happened but seems to be mainl A history of cloth rather than clothes。 Years ago， fabrics varied from region to region as people used local yarns and dyes to make traditional textiles。 Now everything is transported around the world and most clothes are made in factories in countries where labour is cheaper and there are no trade unions to help workers。 I remember a time when M&S proudly stated that most of their clothing was made in the UK。 No longer so。 This book is a potted history of why that happened but seems to be mainly aimed at the American market。 It tells us about denim looms and the proud Navaho people weaving while interned on their reservations， but hardly a mention of Scottish tweeds。 I loved the beginning， explaining how the author became interested in the history of clothing manufacture after visiting Dumptique， a posh used clothes shop on Martha's Vineyard。 A book to dip into。 。。。more

Sharyn ，

I was misled by the cover of the book and the description into thinking it would be a history of clothing rather than cloth。 Also I hadn't realised how US-centric it would be。 Bearing in mind that most of the skills used historically in America came from Great Britain and Ireland and other settlers I am surprised at how little they are mentioned。 Having said that I found the book very interesting and incredibly detailed and well researched。 From pastoral to polictical; travelling through slavery I was misled by the cover of the book and the description into thinking it would be a history of clothing rather than cloth。 Also I hadn't realised how US-centric it would be。 Bearing in mind that most of the skills used historically in America came from Great Britain and Ireland and other settlers I am surprised at how little they are mentioned。 Having said that I found the book very interesting and incredibly detailed and well researched。 From pastoral to polictical; travelling through slavery， industrialisation and toxic pollution and back so slavery; covering French influence on the fashion industry since the reign of Louis XIV and conspicuous consumption's influence on modern processes。 I know that this was an uncorrected advanced proof and it was in need of tidying up - but I do really hope that Hertfordshire has been replaced by Herefordshire as the county bordering England and Wales。 With thanks to NetGalley， the publishers and the author for a copy of the book to read and review。 。。。more

jean ，

I didn't feel that， for me， this book lived up to the promise of its "blurb。" I had been hoping for more history and more emphasis on the clothing of the title。 It was obviously well researched but I found I lost my enthusiasm early on and just revisited it now and again in order to review it。Although the author does discuss other countries， as a UK reader I found it very focussed on AmericaThank you to netgalley and penguin books for an advance copy of this book I didn't feel that， for me， this book lived up to the promise of its "blurb。" I had been hoping for more history and more emphasis on the clothing of the title。 It was obviously well researched but I found I lost my enthusiasm early on and just revisited it now and again in order to review it。Although the author does discuss other countries， as a UK reader I found it very focussed on AmericaThank you to netgalley and penguin books for an advance copy of this book 。。。more

Vivienne ，

Very readable history about the story of clothes and the fabrics used to make them across nations， genders， time and cultures。 Chapters divided easily into different fabrics for ease of later reference but also reads easily as a story too。 Thanks to Netgalley for the arc

Emma Hardy ，

Whilst the blurb details what this book talks about， the title is a tad misleading and should be more the history of fabrics。 I don't think as a UK reader that this was as interesting for me as I'd hoped。 A lot of focus on the US with Europe and UK rarely discussed。 As a fashion lover I was left wanting more。 Whilst the blurb details what this book talks about， the title is a tad misleading and should be more the history of fabrics。 I don't think as a UK reader that this was as interesting for me as I'd hoped。 A lot of focus on the US with Europe and UK rarely discussed。 As a fashion lover I was left wanting more。 。。。more

mylogicisfuzzy ，

In Worn， Sofi Tanhauser has produced an excellent， comprehensive account of our relationship with cloth and clothing。 Encompassing social， economic， colonial， cultural and gender history from ancient times when people started twisting linen into thread to globalised fast fashion industry and sweatshops of the modern world。 As more and more reports about the environmental cost and exploitative practices of cloth and garment manufacturing industries come to light， Worn is a timely and an essential In Worn， Sofi Tanhauser has produced an excellent， comprehensive account of our relationship with cloth and clothing。 Encompassing social， economic， colonial， cultural and gender history from ancient times when people started twisting linen into thread to globalised fast fashion industry and sweatshops of the modern world。 As more and more reports about the environmental cost and exploitative practices of cloth and garment manufacturing industries come to light， Worn is a timely and an essential read。 Furthermore， the global pandemic and frequent lockdowns have caused many to reassess how many clothes they buy and whether they need to – I would urge them to read this book。 I would urge anyone with interest in fashion and clothing to read this book。 Worn is divided into chapters on linen， cotton， silk， synthetics and wool。 The history of how people came to use these fabrics， how we got to mass production and who got to control it is very well researched and presented。 Tanhauser focuses on the US but visits factories in China， India， Honduras and elsewhere so she does present the reader with a global picture， and it is not pretty。 The history itself is fascinating。 While I’m familiar with quite a bit of it， I’ve still learned a lot。 Gender history， in particular and how and why women were gradually but comprehensively excluded from guilds and earning money in late medieval and early modern times。 The rise of Paris fashion and how Louis XIV promoted domestic manufacture and export of luxury textiles and clothing。 The book has also given me a lot of ideas for further reading。 Essential reading for anyone wishing to make better choices about the clothing they wear。 Highly recommended。 My thanks to Allen Lane， Penguin UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to read Worn。 。。。more

Rachel ，

Worn by Sofi Thanhauser has a fabulous book that takes a look at the history of our clothes through the history of textiles and through these views we can see the history of our world。 It is just brilliant。 I am stunned by the amount of research that was undertaken in creating this tapestry of gold。 Through the author’s time， research， travels， interviews， and effort we are able to learn so much about history of the human civilizations through the history of textiles: cotton， linen， wool， silk， Worn by Sofi Thanhauser has a fabulous book that takes a look at the history of our clothes through the history of textiles and through these views we can see the history of our world。 It is just brilliant。 I am stunned by the amount of research that was undertaken in creating this tapestry of gold。 Through the author’s time， research， travels， interviews， and effort we are able to learn so much about history of the human civilizations through the history of textiles: cotton， linen， wool， silk， and synthetics。 Through this information we are able to learn the development and roots of how our garments have come to fruition。 We can see how each has evolved， and what that reflects in regards to evolution， environment， society， and also get a glimpse of different cultures spread out amongst the lands。 I never could have imagined that by starting this book I could learn so much about the human race and our constant evolution （good and bad） through our discovery， use， progression， and manipulation of different materials。 It is fresh， unique， inspiring， and unforgettable。 I loved reading this book， going along with the author on her journeys， and all that I have learned throughout。I cannot recommend this book enough！！！！5/5 stars enthusiastically Thank you NG and Penguin Press UK – Allen Lane， Particular， Pelican， Penguin Classics for this stunning arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion。 I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon， Instagram， and B&N accounts upon publication on 1/27/22。 。。。more

Allmyfriendsareinbooks Jamie ，

Every year I like to watch The Christmas Carol （ the one with Alistair Sim）。 There are many scenes that I like， but one of my favorite ones is when the undertaker， the laundress， and the other lady are selling items that they have acquired after the death of a man。 It was always interesting that the woman， who had his nice fabrics， got the most。 Now that I have read Worn by Sofi Thanhauser that scene has more poignancy。I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 I loved how Sofi described how fabric and the Every year I like to watch The Christmas Carol （ the one with Alistair Sim）。 There are many scenes that I like， but one of my favorite ones is when the undertaker， the laundress， and the other lady are selling items that they have acquired after the death of a man。 It was always interesting that the woman， who had his nice fabrics， got the most。 Now that I have read Worn by Sofi Thanhauser that scene has more poignancy。I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 I loved how Sofi described how fabric and the cultivation of crops shaped civilizations。 Linen， silk， cotton， and Wool have fueled economies， political practices， and labor throughout the world。 I definitely recommend it！ 。。。more

Katheryne ，

This readable， accessible social history of fiber and fabric grabbed my attention frompage one and captivated me to the very end。 It details the journey of each type of fabric from its very minute source in the ancient past to the complicated production processes of today’s modern world。 Deftly weaving together history， economics， sociology， business， and trade， this book unfolds the power of fabric， textile， and garment industries。 The consequences of our clothing choices impact our planet in p This readable， accessible social history of fiber and fabric grabbed my attention frompage one and captivated me to the very end。 It details the journey of each type of fabric from its very minute source in the ancient past to the complicated production processes of today’s modern world。 Deftly weaving together history， economics， sociology， business， and trade， this book unfolds the power of fabric， textile， and garment industries。 The consequences of our clothing choices impact our planet in profound ways - from the environment to international politics to the life of the woman sitting at a sewing machine halfway around the world。 At a mere 300 pages， it is easy to read yet impeccably researched。 Not one word is wasted， and I guarantee you will learn something new about the articles of clothing you put on your body。 I will never look at what I choose to wear the same way again。 I highly recommend this incredible book。 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Anitalia Payne ，

I love reading about history， but I never thought that a piece of clothing/cloth also has many stories on its way to become the clothes we wear everyday。 This book shares brilliant knowledge， research and background with its readers。 The author is very thorough and systematic in writing down the steps to create one of the materials we know in general for clothing， cotton。 Not to forget， this book also shares stories about people who are involved in making materials for clothing。 Their lives and I love reading about history， but I never thought that a piece of clothing/cloth also has many stories on its way to become the clothes we wear everyday。 This book shares brilliant knowledge， research and background with its readers。 The author is very thorough and systematic in writing down the steps to create one of the materials we know in general for clothing， cotton。 Not to forget， this book also shares stories about people who are involved in making materials for clothing。 Their lives and struggles， their deprived rights， and their dedication。 There is only one thing that I think is 'missing' in this book， pictures or photos that can clarify what the material being told is like， or what the shape of the tools used to make a clothing material look like。 This can help provide clearer visuals to the reader。Thank you to the publisher AaKnopf and NetGalley for the digital version of this book。4。5 ⭐️ 。。。more

Salvatore ，

！！！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Worn: A People's History of Clothing

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Worn: A People's History of Clothing&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Worn: A People's History of Clothing&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0