Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World

A magnificent work of original research that unravels history through textiles and cloth—how we make it, use it, and what it means to us.

A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice

How is a handmade fabric helping save an ancient forest? Why is a famous fabric pattern from India best known by the name of a Scottish town? How is a Chinese dragon robe a diagram of the whole universe? What is the difference between how the Greek Fates and the Viking Norns used threads to tell our destiny?

In Fabric, bestselling author Victoria Finlay spins us round the globe, weaving stories of our relationship with cloth and asking how and why people through the ages have made it, worn it, invented it, and made symbols out of it. And sometimes why they have fought for it.

Paperback, 528 pages