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LITERATURE AND THE ARTS Ann Hecht. The Art of the Loom: Weaving, Spinning and Dyeing across the World. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2001. 95 pp. Illustrations. Sources. Index. $29.95. Paper.
John Gillow. Printed and Dyed Textiles from Africa. Fabric Folios Series. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2001. 88 pp. Color illustrations. Glossary. Selected Readings. Index. $18.95. Paper.
Textiles can be a fascinating area for study because of their many complex layers of meaning. One draws these meanings from their use as commodities and mediums of exchange in trade, as components of ceremony and ritual, as bodily attire, and as the furnishings of architectural spaces, both sacred and secular. In addition, there is both meaning and history embedded in their varied colors, designs, and textures, and in the techniques used to create them. The question of variation in designs and technique provides the basis for two books that address African textiles. John Gillow's Pnnted and Dyed Textiles from Africa focuses entirely on Africa, while Ann Hecht's The Art of the Loom is a global study of loom weaving, with West Africa as one of several traditions discussed. This soft-cover version is a reprint of her 9 199 89 original edition.
Hecht, who is a weaver, begins with a general introduction on the technology of weaving, followed by in-depth chapters on eight different weaving traditions: Navaho, Bedouin, Indonesian, Japanese, Nepalese, Guatemalan, Peruvian, and West African strip weaving. For each, she provides a brief history and excellent, detailed accounts of the cloth-making process accompanied by good quality photographs and line drawings, 189 in...