The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World
From Neanderthal string to 3D knitting, an “expansive” global history that highlights “how textiles truly changed the world” (Wall Street Journal)
The story of humanity is the story of textiles—as old as civilization itself. Since the first thread was spun, the need for textiles has driven technology, business, politics, and culture.
In The Fabric of Civilization, Virginia Postrel synthesizes groundbreaking research from archaeology, economics, and science to reveal a surprising history. From Minoans exporting wool colored with precious purple dye to Egypt, to Romans arrayed in costly Chinese silk, the cloth trade paved the crossroads of the ancient world. Textiles funded the Renaissance and the Mughal Empire; they gave us banks and bookkeeping, Michelangelo’s David and the Taj Mahal. The cloth business spread the alphabet and arithmetic, propelled chemical research, and taught people to think in binary code.
Assiduously researched and deftly narrated, The Fabric of Civilization tells the story of the world’s most influential commodity.
1136665703
The story of humanity is the story of textiles—as old as civilization itself. Since the first thread was spun, the need for textiles has driven technology, business, politics, and culture.
In The Fabric of Civilization, Virginia Postrel synthesizes groundbreaking research from archaeology, economics, and science to reveal a surprising history. From Minoans exporting wool colored with precious purple dye to Egypt, to Romans arrayed in costly Chinese silk, the cloth trade paved the crossroads of the ancient world. Textiles funded the Renaissance and the Mughal Empire; they gave us banks and bookkeeping, Michelangelo’s David and the Taj Mahal. The cloth business spread the alphabet and arithmetic, propelled chemical research, and taught people to think in binary code.
Assiduously researched and deftly narrated, The Fabric of Civilization tells the story of the world’s most influential commodity.
The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World
From Neanderthal string to 3D knitting, an “expansive” global history that highlights “how textiles truly changed the world” (Wall Street Journal)
The story of humanity is the story of textiles—as old as civilization itself. Since the first thread was spun, the need for textiles has driven technology, business, politics, and culture.
In The Fabric of Civilization, Virginia Postrel synthesizes groundbreaking research from archaeology, economics, and science to reveal a surprising history. From Minoans exporting wool colored with precious purple dye to Egypt, to Romans arrayed in costly Chinese silk, the cloth trade paved the crossroads of the ancient world. Textiles funded the Renaissance and the Mughal Empire; they gave us banks and bookkeeping, Michelangelo’s David and the Taj Mahal. The cloth business spread the alphabet and arithmetic, propelled chemical research, and taught people to think in binary code.
Assiduously researched and deftly narrated, The Fabric of Civilization tells the story of the world’s most influential commodity.
The story of humanity is the story of textiles—as old as civilization itself. Since the first thread was spun, the need for textiles has driven technology, business, politics, and culture.
In The Fabric of Civilization, Virginia Postrel synthesizes groundbreaking research from archaeology, economics, and science to reveal a surprising history. From Minoans exporting wool colored with precious purple dye to Egypt, to Romans arrayed in costly Chinese silk, the cloth trade paved the crossroads of the ancient world. Textiles funded the Renaissance and the Mughal Empire; they gave us banks and bookkeeping, Michelangelo’s David and the Taj Mahal. The cloth business spread the alphabet and arithmetic, propelled chemical research, and taught people to think in binary code.
Assiduously researched and deftly narrated, The Fabric of Civilization tells the story of the world’s most influential commodity.
19.99
Out Of Stock
5
1
The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World
320
The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World
320Paperback
$19.99
Related collections and offers
19.99
Out Of Stock
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781541617629 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Basic Books |
| Publication date: | 12/07/2021 |
| Pages: | 320 |
| Product dimensions: | 8.10(w) x 5.40(h) x 0.90(d) |
From the B&N Reads Blog
Customer Reviews
Explore More Items
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Barack Obama’s lucid vision of America’s place in the world and call for a new kind of politics that builds upon our shared
En estas memorias líricas y absorbentes, el hijo de un africano negro y una estadounidense blanca busca un significado viable a su vida como negro afroamericano. Comienza en Nueva York, donde
The Plan: Barack Obama's Promise to America and His Plan for the Economy, Iraq, Healthcare, and More
This book explains in detail President Obama's plan for America's most pressing problems. It describes how Obama intends to re-position the United States as a leader and role model for the world. In
Quotes captures your subconscious mind, which forms 90% of your total mind. The subconscious mind is the creative mind. So, when it is frequently filled with positive commands it will bring an
"A fascinating history of…[a craft] that preceded and made possible civilization itself." —New York Times Book Review New discoveries about the textile arts reveal women's unexpectedly
"Johnson revels in all the wicked things these great thinkers have done...great fun to read." — New York Times Book Review
A fascinating portrait of the minds that have shaped
A fascinating collection of medieval Arabic travel writing in an important new translation
Between the ninth and fourteenth centuries, Arab explorers journeyed widely and frequently into the far
A passionate, thought provoking exploration of walking as a political and cultural activity, from the author of Men Explain Things to Me
Drawing together many histories—of anatomical evolution
An eye-opening account of the first encounter between England and Japan, by the acclaimed author of Nathaniel's Nutmeg.
In 1611, the merchants of London's East India Company received a mysterious
In 1611, the merchants of London's East India Company received a mysterious
Throughout the history of the world, libraries have been constructed, burned, discovered, raided, and cherished—and the treasures they've housed have evolved from early stone tablets to the
“A beautifully written evocation of Ukraine's brutal past and its shaky efforts to construct a better future.”—Financial Times
Ukraine is gripped in a bloody crisis that has
An Economist Best History Book 2017
“History as it should be written.”—Barry Cunliffe, Guardian
“Scott hits the nail squarely on the head by exposing the
“History as it should be written.”—Barry Cunliffe, Guardian
“Scott hits the nail squarely on the head by exposing the
In this brilliant, engrossing work, Jack Turner explores an era—from ancient times through the Renaissance—when what we now consider common condiments were valued in gold and blood.
Spices
Spices
From Neanderthal string to 3D knitting, an “expansive” global history that highlights “how textiles truly changed the world” (Wall Street Journal)
The story of humanity is the
The story of humanity is the
Amoskeag Manufacturing Company experienced extraordinary growth following its founding in 1831. The complex company developed land and water power and produced rifle muskets for the Union army during