The Book of Looms: A History of the Handloom from Ancient Times to the Present

by Eric Broudy

Genres: History, Non-fiction
Pages: 176
Rating:

Synopsis:

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 Broduy places the wide variety of handlooms in 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, no matter how primitive, has woven on handlooms. He highlights the incredible technical achievement of primitive cultures that created magnificent textiles with the crudest of tools and demonstrates that modern technology has done nothing to surpass their skill or inventiveness.

It’s hard to rate Eric Broudy’s The Book of Looms as someone who doesn’t really understand weaving and has never handled a loom beyond idle curiosity. There are a lot of technical terms to remember, even when they’ve been defined in the text, and it’s also difficult for someone with aphantasia to visualise the descriptions of how things work mechnically.

That said, it’s very thorough, explains its suppositions, and includes a lot of diagrams and images (in black and white) to help illustrate the text and explain things. I expect for people interested in looms on a more than vague and theoretical level will get a lot more out of it.

I’m not in love with the word “primitive” used a few times, but Broudy does call out that these “primitive” looms were used by people who were perhaps more skilled at weaving than anyone living today. The looms may have seen technical advances, but the weavers were superlative. I did enjoy the titbits in between the technical details about the spread of weaving, how cloth was used, the reactions to new technology, etc.

So, not aimed at me, and for that I can’t rate it highly on enjoyment, but I’d feel bad giving it a low rating. I’m certain it’s good for those who’re interested in a more technical level.

Rating: 4/5