Embroiderers' Guild Bookshop - World Cultures

African Textiles NEW!
John Gillow
Pub. Thames & Hudson
Price £39.95 hardback
The first encyclopaedic, continent-wide survey of the textile traditions of Africa, lavishly illustrated throughout with hundreds of colour photographs and drawings.

Ajrakh Patterns and Borders NEW!
Emma Ronald and Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing
Pub. Kangaroo
Price £14.95 paperback
This is a real gem of a book that illustrates beautifully Ajrakh which is a form of traditional hand block printing and resist dyeing using indigo, madder and printed mordants. It even includes some actual hand-printed cloth samples which really bring this tradition alive for the reader.

Amulets
Paine, S
Pub. Thames & Hudson
Price £14.95 paperback
This is an easy-to-read beautifully illustrated and fascinating study of Amulets. Every aspect is covered from history, cultural background, protective qualities, symbolism, folklore to magic. For anyone interested in this subject, this book is a must.

Art Textiles of the World : Korea Volume One NEW!
Lee, M (ed)
Pub. Telos
Price £27.95 paperback

Balotra The Complex Language of Print NEW!
Emma Ronald and Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing
Pub. Kangaroo
Price £14.95 paperback
Another stunning book from the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing showing the block printed cotton designed and worn in the Balotra region of Rajasthan, India. Like "Ajrakh Patterns and Borders" this too has samples of the actual printed cloth. These books are very popular amongst those of us who work in the Guild Bookshop.

Batik: Creating an Identity NEW!
Lee Chor Lin
Pub. National Museum of Singapore
Price £17.50 paperback
The author examines the role of batik within the social and cultural context of modern Indonesia and Singapore.

Beadwork A World Guide
Crabtree, C & Stallebrass, P
Pub. Thames & Hudson
Price £28.00 hardback

Bright Flowers
Petherbridge, G

Price £32.50 hardback

Celestial Silks
Rutherford
Pub. Art Gallery of New South Wales
Price £15.95 paperback

Chinese Silks and Sewing Tools
Chatterton, J
Pub. Jocelyn Chatterton
Price £28.00 hardback

Colourful World
Gallienne, A G
Pub. Thames & Hudson
Price £15.99 paperback
From Mali to Peru, from China to Norway, this book captures all the colours of the world created and used by human beings to brighten their lives.

Embroidered Textiles NEW!
Sheila Paine
Pub. Thames & Hudson
Price £29.95 hardback
The art of embroidery has been practised for thousands of years. In the West, traditions have been at the mercy of trade and fashion, but in much of the rest of the world, embroidery continues to be rooted in ancient beliefs and superstitions. This beautifully illustrated, updated and revised edition examines in detail the fascinating symbolism of the motifs and patterns that give life to these spectacular textiles.

Embroidery from Afghanistan NEW!
Sheila Paine
Pub. British Museum Press
Price £10.99 paperback
This book looks at the costume of men, women and children as well as embroideries for the home, yurts and domestic animals. Symbolism of patterns, amulets and motifs are explained with the use of beautiful illustrations.

Embroidery from Palestine NEW!
Shelagh Weir
Pub. British Museum Press
Price £10.99 paperback
This book shows the colourful embroidery of village women during the 19th and 20th centuries. The author explores techniques, patterns and materials used in embroidery and patchwork in clothing for weddings, ceremonies and festivals.

Every Step A Lotus; Shoes for Bound Feet
Ko, D
Pub. University of California Press
Price £15.95 paperback

Kantha Embroidery - a workbook NEW!
Surjeet Husain
Pub. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh
Price £9.95 paperback
Surjeet Husain has written another inspiring workbook, this time on the Kantha technique from Bengal. As usual there are easy to follow instructions and drawings to help us recreate a kantha of our own. Colour photographs show us some of the original kanthas from this region of the Sub-Continent. Surjeet has also written Sheesha Embroidery-a work book and Phulkari Embroidery-a work book which are also available for £9.95. The three together make an excellent set!

Kimonos NEW!
Sophie Milenovich
Pub. Abrams
Price £14.95 hardback
"A woman in a kimono is like a fleeting vision. She emerges briefly from the crowd only to vanish, dreamlike, around a street corner." In Kimonos, author Sophie Milenovich artfully explains and illustrates the allure of this legendary and quintessentially Japanese garment.

Lao - Thai Textiles
Cheesman, P
Pub. Vivian Prideaux
Price £55.00 hardback

Miao Embroidery from South West China
Smith, R
Pub. Gina Corrigan
Price £13.50 paperback
This is a fascinating study of the costumes and textiles from the Miao villages in South West China, inspired by Gina Corrigan's wonderful collection. Meticulously researched, with stunning photography and clear instructions for many of the techniques described, this book is essential reading for anyone who is interested in Asian textiles.

Minority Textile Techniques Costumes from South West China NEW!
Editor: Ruth Smith
Pub. Gina Corrigan
Price £17.00 paperback
A follow up book to 'Miao Embroidery from South West China' which widens the scope of this fascinating subject to include the festival dress and processes required to make it, of other minority groups in Guizhou.

Oro Plata, Embroidered Costumes of the Bullfight
Carborel, D
Pub. Assouline
Price £40.00 hardback

Pacific Pattern
Kuchler, S
Pub. Thames & Hudson
Price £24.95 hardback
The Pacific is home to some of the most innovative patterns in fibre and fabric in the world. Drawing on local plant resources, such as coconut palm and pandanus leaves, as well as synthetic materials, patterns of astonishing creativity and colour are woven, bound, knotted, plaited, rubbed or stamped. Lavishly illustrated throughout with a rare combination of contemporary, archival and museum images, Pacific Pattern takes the reader on a spectacular journey through the history of the Pacific and the myriad ways in which its peoples weave, bind, knit, plait, rub and stamp patterns of astonishing creativity. It will be an indispensable sourcebook for artists, stitchers, craftspeople and designers.

Real Western Wear: Beaded Gauntlets from the William P Healey Collection NEW!
Pub. Georgia Museum of Art
Price £15.00 hardback
This catalogue accompanied the exhibition Real Western Wear which presented 73 pairs of decorated gloves. The exhibits, each photographed in detail for the catalogue show the design diversity and technical virtuosity of the American Indian artists who produced these objects between the 1890's and the 1940's.

Russian Textiles: Printed Cloth for the Bazaars of Central Asia NEW!
Susan Meller
Pub. Abrams
Price £25.95 hardback
Charts Russian Textiles created between 1850 - 1950 and exported through Central Asia

Splendid Slippers
Jackson, B
Pub. Ten Speed Press
Price £19.99 paperback
This wonderful book is a must for anyone with an interest in Chinese textiles and culture. Beautiful photographs and a fascinating text make it easy and unputdownable reading! Six years of research into the ancient Chinese custom of footbinding resulted in a truly fabulous book. A precious addition to any collection.

Textile Arts; Multicultural Traditions
Singer, M and Spyrou, M
Pub. A&C Black
Price £14.99 paperback

Textiles from India : The Global trade
Crill, R (ed)
Pub. Seagull Books
Price £39.95 hardback
Textiles have always been central for India and Indian textiles have travelled the globe, clothing Kings and Queens to common man. This fascinating global history from the medieval period up to the present day has been beautifully captured by lavish illustrations and a collection of detailed essays by scholars from four continents. For me of particular interest was the essay by Rosemary Cril about the unique Indian embroideries at Hardwick Hall.

Textiles of Central and South America
Thompson, Angela
Pub. Crowood Press
Price £25.00 hardback

The Aesthetics and Vocabulary of Nakshi Kantha
Ahmad, P
Pub. Bangladesh National Museum
Price £27.00 hardback

The Fine Art of Kimono Embroidery NEW!
Shizuka Kusano
Pub. Kodansha
Price £27.50 hardback
This book showcases the exquisite art of the talented embroidery artist Shizuka Kusano.

Threads of Identity
Frater, Judy
Pub. Mapin Publishing
Price £38.00 hardback

Toile de Jouy
Pub. Thames & Hudson
Price £36.00 hardback

World Textiles A Concise History NEW!
Mary Schoeser
Pub. Thames & Hudson
Price £7.95 paperback
Available now! Mary Schoeser's groundbreaking book presents a chronological survey of textiles around the world from prehistory to the present day, exploring how they are made, what they are made from, how they function in society, and the ways in which they are used and given meaning. An excellent book with wonderful, inspiring photo's and a steal at £7.95!!!