REFERENCE

Looking at Textiles

A Guide to Technical Terms
Looking at Textiles: A Guide to Technical Terms. Getty Museum. 2012. 112p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781606060803. pap. $18.95. REF
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Phipps, who worked as a textile conservator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for more than 30 years, expresses in this work her interest in the fibers, weave, and creation of textiles ranging from tapestries in medieval Europe to the silks of China. The slim text offers a surprising multitude of definitions, and its alphabetical glossary of textile terminology, along with large full-color photos on nearly every page, makes it attractive and informative. A selected bibliography provides a useful extension to fabric study. Textbooks such as Billie J. Collier, Martin Bide, and Phyllis G. Tortora's Understanding Textiles (7th ed., 2008) and Sara J. Kadolph's Textiles (11th ed.)—both from Prentice Hall—are oversized and very comprehensive but not as detailed as this title.
VERDICT Archivists and artists interested in the technical scholarship, conservation, or curatorial fields of textiles and in the ways textiles are produced from one culture to another will appreciate this straightforward presentation.
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