The Golden Thread

A history of fabric might not sound immediately exciting, but St Clair's book is a refreshing treat, every page bursting with surprising insights. Clothing, she argues, is central to history, from myths and legends to trade and technology. The threads woven by the Greek Fates, the bandages that wrapped Egyptian mummies, the wool that made medieval England rich, the lace in Vermeer's paintings : it all makes for a smart and entertaining historical tapestry
The history of the world through the eye of a needle... Fascinating... I recommend this book to anyone
A charming, absorbing and quietly feminist history that takes us on a journey from the silk roads to sportswear, from ruffs to spacesuits... I devoured this book
Remarkable . . . hugely ambitious, sparklingly erudite and wonderfully engaging
A joyful commingling of text and textiles in 13 beautifully wrought stories. We visit a cave where dyed fibres more than 30,000 years old have been discovered; goggle at the starched intricacy of sixteenth-century lace ruffs; flinch over astronauts' nappies and the sodden sleeping bags of early polar expeditions; and savour the idea of materials spun from spiders' webs.
The Golden Thread will make you rethink your relationship with fabric
Superb... this dazzling book puts fabric at the very heart of human history.
A curious and illuminating history of fabric
Vividly drawn . . . this beautifully presented tome is perfect for dipping in and out of
The Golden Thread is worth a read for informing your political thinking, and it will entertain you far more than most 'political' books


Such a captivating read its likely you'll want to devour this engrossing patchwork of textile history in one sitting