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Indian Textiles

Author: John Gillow and Nicholas Barnard
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
$50.00 Cloth (224 P.)
ISBN: 9780500514320
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Reviewed by Julie Marston, Customer Service Bibliographer

Indian Textiles is a comprehensive study of the subject that covers not only local village textile production but commercial production as well. India is a land of many cultures and offers a rich legacy of color and variety in textile production. This book covers the dying, weaving, printing, and embroidery techniques used extensively in India and its various regions, including Sri Lanka.

Authors Gillow and Barnard outline the colorful history of textile production in India, which includes influences from foreign invaders and trade. Starting with the third millennium BC, they cover the history right up through the era of Mahatma Gandhi. Next, they move into dyes and weaving techniques, printing, embroidery, appliqué and beadwork. Finally, they discuss the textiles of different regions in India including Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The book also features an appendix of museums and galleries with collections of Indian textiles and a glossary of Indian textile terms.

Indian Textiles contains 475 illustrations showing Indian textiles and techniques, most of them in color. It is a wide ranging examination of textile techniques in India.