A heavily illustrated classic on the evolution of the handloom.
 
The handloom—often no more than a bundle of sticks and a few lengths of cordage—has been known to almost all cultures for thousands of years. Eric Broudy places the wide variety of handlooms in their historical context. What influenced their development? How did they travel from one geographic area to another? Were they invented independently by different cultures? How have modern cultures improved on ancient weaving skills and methods? Broudy shows how virtually every culture has woven on handlooms. He highlights the incredible technical achievement of early cultures that created magnificent textiles with the crudest of tools and demonstrates that modern technology has done nothing to surpass their skill or inventiveness.
 

Eric Broudy, a former freelance writer and editor, now devotes his time to fine art photography and public arts management.
 

Introduction, 1. Origins, 2. The Warp-weighted Loom, 3. The Two-bar Loom, 4. Pueblo and Navajo Looms, 5. The Backstrap and Other Primitive Looms, 6. The Treadle Loom, 7. The Drawloom, 8. The Modern Loom, Bibliography, Index