Oriental Carpets

_____________________________________________ I like rug books -- my wife and I went to a rug show and came home with almost $600 (!!) worth -- in fact, I sprained my back getting them out to the car. This book was, without question, the best deal of the bunch -- you might be surprised how small a stack $600 worth of books can be (OK, one of them was $250, our "big" Xmas gift to each other, & the most expensive book we've ever bought.) You'll recognize this book in the store by the wonderful cover photo of two cheerful Turkoman girls knotting a carpet. This is one of the strengths of the book -- lots of photos of rug weavers at work, and how they live, both modern and historic. The second strength -- lots and lots of gorgeous color photos of rugs! They're not quite as good as the $250 book, but pretty darned close. Third, Mr Thompson writes in a clear, wry, direct fashion that's a joy to read -- a refreshing contrast to the garbled, turgid and/or purple prose you may have seen in other rug/art books. Here's a sample from the appendix on buying advice, "Closing-down Sales": "This new method of selling carpets... is based on the very simple principle that avarice, cupidity and greed are unfailing sources of positive motivations in human beings..." If you have any interest in Oriental rugs, you *need* this book. If you don't think you're interested, do yourself a favor & check it out from the library. Would that more art books were like this.... review copyright 1998 by Peter D. Tillman Pete Tillman, a long-time textile collector, once wrote (and sold!) a science-fiction story based on Oriental rugs. Note: this is a repost of the review just below -- I've lost the account name I had then, and so can't revise or delete it. Sigh

You'll recognize this book in the store by the wonderful cover photo of two cheerful Turkoman girls knotting a carpet. This is one of the strengths of the book -- lots of photos of rug weavers at work, and how they live, both modern and historic. The second strength -- lots and lots of gorgeous color photos of rugs!

This is an excellent book to learn about oriental carpets, and it provides a good general reference for both first time and experienced buyers. It is well written and well-organized. I have the larger format hard copy, which shows off the 180(!) excellent photos of a large variety of both new and old carpets, and the people who make them. The quality of the photos are the best I have found among the many carpet books I've read and looked through. At the back are two informative 2-page maps showing the main carpet-making areas of Turkey, the Middle East, China & Mongolia. Note that this book is not a complete lexicon of carpets, so it is less useful for someone who wants to look up a particular carpet name, spelling, or style. Highly recommended, especially the hard copy published in 1988, if you can find it.