Even when I buy a coffee-table book, in which the primary attraction is visual rather than wordsmithing, I try to read the text. That's why it's taken me so long to review this book, which I've owned for about 6 months. The text is not bad; it's just dry and scholarly. That isn't actually a terrible thing here, since this book is, after all, about the textiles of the Arts & Crafts movement in the UK, focusing on the exhibitions between 1880 and 1920. It necessarily goes into detail about, say, the increase in the number of textile firms at the end of the 19th century. There's a whole section that's a catalog of the era's designers, craftsmen, institutions and firms, for instance. If you're a serious student of the history of the movement, you'll be thrilled. Me -- not so much.
But that's perfectly okay, because I bought the book for its 153 illustrations, all of which are gorgeous. If you care about the designs from William Morris, CFA Voysey or Arthur Silver, you may have to wipe drool off your chin before it falls onto the book. The collection here -- all of which, I think, is represented from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London -- includes full color plates of the cloth patterns and embroidery, as well as some photos of the textiles in use (such as the Morris' bed at Kelmscot Manor). This is just gosh-durn PRETTY stuff, and well worth flipping through. It's positively inspiring for anyone contemplating authentic stencils, or embroidery, or (my excuse) quilting designs.
