The Golden Thread
How Fabric Changed History
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The Golden Thread
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Narrated by:
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Helen Johns
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By:
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Kassia St Clair
As heard on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week
A new history of ingenuity from the author of The Secret Lives of Colour.
From the mummies of Ancient Egypt; via the silken dragon robes of Imperial China and the woollen sails of Viking longboats to the Indian calicoes and chintzes that powered the Industrial Revolution (and sparked more than one war); arriving finally at the lab-blended fibres that have allowed astronauts to moonwalk -- fabrics, manmade and natural, have changed and shaped the world we live in.
In twelve fascinating chapters, Kassia St Clair lays out an alternative history of civilisation and human creativity. Wittily written and compellingly argued, this book will change the way you see the world.
Clearly, much research was carried out in devising the book. It is fascinating for instance to learn more about say the place of cotton in Ancient Egypt, how the sails of Viking ships were (astonishingly) made of wool and how highly resistant suits constitute a central component of space travel.
Sadly, however, there is no conducting thread (no pun intended). The reader is presented with a series of well-developed vignettes, grossly placed in chronological order. It feels as if the author started out to write a history of textiles, got lost in specific details and finally published a collage (not to say a quilt).
Despite this major shortcoming, the novelty of the topic makes this work quite worthwhile.
Fascinating but Incomplete!
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