The American Quilt : A History of Cloth and Comfort 1750-1950

Rating:
Summary: Worth the price!
Review: If I could own only one book on the quilting history of United States this would be it. Yes, it costs more, but it is worth every penny. The quintissential source of American quilt history. Ask for this one for Christmas.

Rating:
Summary: For quilt enthusiasts and collectors--a valuable volume
Review: The quilt, as a craft, is a well-explored area for authors. Quilting, you needn't be told, is enjoying a huge popularity with television shows, websites and shops for fabrics in almost every town. Even a friend of mine in a small village in the Black Forest of Germany quilts enthusiastically and wanted to visit American quilt shops on her first trip to the USA.

If you are a quilt lover, you can profit by reading author Kiracofe's examination of quilts, from a study of fabrics and dyes, to the change in pattern popularity over time. For example, postage-stamp quilts, or quilts made of the tiniest squares, were in vogue as a sort of stunt or show of skill.

African American quilts are an important part of quilt history and have unique and very characteristic design as well as marking the course of history from slavery to freedom. The Baltimore area, near where I live, is known for a style of applique quilt that bears the name of the city. I myself own a quilt from Kentucky that I now believe dates to the 1930's; I was able to research more about the type of print used in the fabric by reading this book.

This book is beautifully photographed and rich in historical detail. If you know a quilter or if you are a quilt enthusiast yourself, this volume will not only delight but prove useful in research and education.

Rating:
Summary: Splendid, exquisite, the best quilt book....
Review: This book was given to me as a gift. How fortunate that I had such a friend! The most beautiful quilt book, the best selection of quilts, the best range, the best details, the best photography, the best printing, and comprehensive scholarship text to boot (I just can't get past the pictures). Includes some familiar quilts, but also many, many, many wonderful ones not seen elsewhere. I have a wall of 25 years of well-loved quilt books and I rate this at the top. Splendid. Exquisite. Be so fortunate.

Rating:
Summary: Splendid, exquisite, the best quilt book....
Review: This book was given to me as a gift. How fortunate that I had such a friend! The most beautiful quilt book, the best selection of quilts, the best range, the best details, the best photography, the best printing, and comprehensive scholarship text to boot (I just can't get past the pictures). Includes some familiar quilts, but also many, many, many wonderful ones not seen elsewhere. I have a wall of 25 years of well-loved quilt books and I rate this at the top. Splendid. Exquisite. Be so fortunate.

Rating:
Summary: Worth the price!
Review: This is a book that completes a well planned study and demonstration of the impact regarding quilts in our American heritage.The overviews in each chapter are written in an easy to read yet highly intelligent fashion, with a fabulous array of photographs to document each junture of North America's quilting heritage. There are many fascinating paths of interest that take one off of the beaten path, and into other domains of history, spanning 200 years of society, tradition and data concerning work, love, and the pure romance of this subject.

Rating:
Summary: An informative book of importance
Review: This is a book that completes a well planned study and demonstration of the impact regarding quilts in our American heritage.The overviews in each chapter are written in an easy to read yet highly intelligent fashion, with a fabulous array of photographs to document each junture of North America's quilting heritage. There are many fascinating paths of interest that take one off of the beaten path, and into other domains of history, spanning 200 years of society, tradition and data concerning work, love, and the pure romance of this subject.