Textile scholarship lives largely in museum catalogues, because the objects are fragile and seldom shown, and many of the best are published by small university and ethnographic museums in short print runs.
Start with a structural guide to how fabrics are made, then the regional studies — Indonesian and Bornean ikat, Central Asian and Persian carpets, Indian and Chinese embroidery — that interest you.
Where to start
The Primary Structures of Fabrics — Irene Emery, 1966. The standard vocabulary for describing how a textile is built.
Splendid Symbols: Textiles and Tradition in Indonesia — Mattiebelle Gittinger, 1979. The foundational study of Indonesian textiles.
Textiles of Southeast Asia: Tradition, Trade and Transformation — Robyn Maxwell, 1990. The broad regional survey.
World Textiles: A Concise History — Mary Schoeser, 2003. A compact global history.
Oriental Rugs: A Complete Guide — Charles W. Jacobsen, 1962. A long-used collector's guide to rug types.
Books on Textiles, Rugs & Costume in stock (40)
The Sari: Styles, Patterns, History, Techniques by Sanjay K. Singh, Linda Lynton — $6.29 The Sari: Styles, Patterns, History, Techniques is an illustrated study of Indian sari design by Linda Lynton, with photographs by Sanjay K. Singh, published by Harry N. Abrams in 1995.
Carpet and Textile Patterns by Nicholas Purdon — $5.96 Carpet and Textile Patterns is an illustrated reference by Nicholas Purdon, published by Laurence King in 1996 (144 pages).
The women's warpath: Iban Ritual Fabrics from Borneo by Traude Gavin — $11.99 An exhibition catalogue from the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History (1996) by Traude Gavin on the ritual textiles woven by Iban women of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.
Carpets of the Vakiflar Museum Istanbul = Teppiche des Vakiflar-Museums Istanbul… by Belkıs Balpınar — $24.58 A museum catalogue of the carpets in the Vakiflar Museum, Istanbul, by Belkis Balpinar and Udo Hirsch (U. Hulsey, 1988, 343 pages), with parallel English and German titles, Carpets of the Vakiflar Museum Istanbul and…
Master dyers to the world by Mattiebelle Gittinger — $6.63 Master Dyers to the World by Mattiebelle Gittinger (The Textile Museum, Washington, 1982, 208 pages), subtitled Technique and Trade in Early Indian Dyed Cotton Textiles.
The Topkapi Saray Museum: Carpets by J. M. Rogers — $44.65 A museum volume from the Topkapı Palace Museum series, The Topkapi Saray Museum: Carpets, translated, expanded and edited by J. M. Rogers from the Turkish of Hülya Tezcan (Little, Brown).
From the Bosporus to Samarkand Flat-Woven Rugs by Anthony N. Landreau and W. R. Pickering — $14.25 From the Bosporus to Samarkand: Flat-Woven Rugs, by Anthony N. Landreau and W. R. Pickering, published by The Textile Museum (1969), 109 pages.
Between the Black Desert and the Red by Robert Pinner — $18.05 A catalogue by Robert Pinner, Between the Black Desert and the Red: Turkmen Carpets from the Wiedersperg Collection, published by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Chinese Silk by Shelagh Vainker — $12.35 Chinese Silk: A Cultural History by Shelagh Vainker, published by Rutgers University Press in 2004.
The Story of the Kimono by Jill Liddell — $9.12 The Story of the Kimono by Jill Liddell, published by Dutton/Penguin in 1989.
Tribal Eye : Antique Kilims of Anatolia by Peter Davies — $5.20 A book on antique kilims of Anatolia by Peter Davies, published by Rizzoli in 1993 (144 pages) as The Tribal Eye.
Lot of 6 Arts of Asia magazines, 1978-1979 — $47.50 A lot of six issues of Arts of Asia, the Hong Kong-based illustrated magazine of Asian art and antiques, covering May-June 1978 through November-December 1979.
The Essence of Persian Carpets by Seyed Morteza Arastoo — $22.25 The Essence of Persian Carpets (Japanese title: Gendai no Perushya nishiki, subtitled Woven in Oriental History) is an illustrated book on Persian carpets from the collection of Dr. Seyed Morteza Arastoo, published by…
Oriental Carpets by Robert de Calatchi — $28.49 Oriental Carpets is a book on Oriental rugs and carpets by Robert de Calatchi, published in English by Charles E. Tuttle Company in 1971 (second edition).
Batik by Fred W. van Oss — $30.90 Batik: Sukma Jawa / De Ziel van Java / The Soul of Java is a 1996 book on Javanese batik by Fred W. van Oss, issued in connection with the Nederlands Textielmuseum.
Early Caucasian Rugs by Charles Grant Ellis — $11.38 Early Caucasian Rugs is a study of early rugs from the Caucasus by Charles Grant Ellis, published by The Textile Museum in Washington in 1975 for its fiftieth anniversary (1925-1975).
First Under Heaven: The Art of Asia by Jill Tilden — $10.76 First Under Heaven: The Art of Asia is an illustrated survey of Asian art edited by Jill Tilden and published by Hali Publications in London in 1997.
Tufenkian Tibetan Carpets — $13.51 Tufenkian Tibetan Carpets: 1999 Full Line Catalog is a hardcover trade catalogue issued by the Tufenkian Tibetan Carpets company in 1999, with James Tufenkian listed as author.
Tibet? by Kangri — $28.49 Tibet? is a 1982 illustrated catalogue of Tibetan carpets published by Kangri.
Oriental Rugs of the Silk Route by John Gregorian — $5.44 Oriental Rugs of the Silk Route: Culture, Process, and Selection is an illustrated study of oriental rugs by John B. Gregorian, published by Rizzoli in New York in 2000.
The Kashmir Shawl by John Irwin — $10.66 The Kashmir Shawl is a Victoria & Albert Museum publication by John Irwin, issued in London by Her Majesty's Stationery Office in 1973.
The Kirghiz Pattern by Л. Дядюченко, Е. Сорокин and Б. Усубалиева — $28.95 The Kirghiz Pattern (Кыргыз оймолору / Киргизский узор) is an illustrated book on Kyrgyz ornament and decorative textile art, by L. Dyadyuchenko, E. Sorokin and B. Usubalieva, published in Kyrgyzstan in 1986.
Tie-dyed Textiles of India: Tradition and Trade by Veronica Murphy and Rosemary Crill — $13.75 Tie-dyed Textiles of India: Tradition and Trade is a 1991 study by Veronica Murphy and Rosemary Crill, part of the Victoria and Albert Museum's Indian Art Series, published by Rizzoli in association with the V&A and…
The Splendor of Antique Rugs and Tapestries by Parvis Nemati — $23.96 The Splendor of Antique Rugs and Tapestries is an illustrated book on antique rugs and tapestries by Parviz Nemati, published by Rizzoli International Publications (New York) in 2001.
Chinese Rugs: A Buyer's Guide by Lee Allane — $5.44 Chinese Rugs: A Buyer's Guide is a 1993 guide to collecting and buying Chinese carpets by Lee Allane, published by Thames and Hudson.
Handwoven fabrics of India by Dhamija — $10.90 Handwoven Fabrics of India is an illustrated book on Indian handloom textiles, edited by Jasleen Dhamija and Jyotindra Jain and published by Mapin Publishing in Ahmedabad in 1989.
Carpets of China and Its Border Regions by Virginia Dulany Hyman and William C. C. Hu — $17.08 Carpets of China and Its Border Regions is a study of Chinese rugs and carpets by Virginia Dulany Hyman and William C. C. Hu, published by Ars Ceramica, Ltd. of Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1982.
Portraits of China by Lunda H. Gill — $20.88 Portraits of China is a 1990 illustrated book published by the University of Hawaii Press, with paintings and portraits by Lunda Hoyle Gill and text by Colin Mackerras.
Africa on the Floor: The Exhibition Catalogue by modernafricanart — $14.37 Africa on the Floor: The Exhibition Catalogue is a 2012 catalogue issued by modernafricanart to accompany an exhibition of contemporary African rugs.
Azerbaijani-Caucasian Rugs by Siawosh U., KERIMOV, Latif, Zollinger, Werner AZADI — $17.15 Azerbaijani-Caucasian Rugs is a 2001 catalogue of the Ulmke Collection, Switzerland, by Siawosh U. Azadi, Latif Kerimov and Werner Zollinger, published by the Ulmke Collection with Offizin Paul Hartung.
The decorative thread: embroidery by Lotus Stack — $9.00 A short museum publication from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (1990) by Lotus Stack on embroidery, titled The Decorative Thread.
Tapestries and Their Mythology by Jack Franses — $13.94 Tapestries and Their Mythology by Jack Franses, published by John Gifford in 1973.
Asian Art by Daniel Shaffer, Sheila Scott — $6.20 Asian Art, the second Hali Annual (Laurence King, 1995, 232 pages), a yearbook on Asian art that covers textiles and the decorative arts of Asia.
Tapisseries Françaises pour la Reine de Danemark: Guide Pratique by Peter Michael Hornung — $30.20 A French-language guide to the tapestries woven in France for the Queen of Denmark, Tapisseries Françaises pour la Reine de Danemark: Guide pratique, by Peter Michael Hornung (Le Maréchalat de la Cour, 108 pages).
Once Upon a Carpet by Kathleen Ryniker Bashian — $12.75 Once Upon a Carpet by Kathleen Ryniker Bashian, published by Cultural Connections in 1999.
Oriental Rugs by Walter B. Denny — $11.40 A book on Oriental rugs by Walter B. Denny, published by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Design in 1979.