The Golden Thread cover art

The Golden Thread

How Fabric Changed History

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Golden Thread

By: Kassia St Clair
Narrated by: Helen Johns
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £15.79

Buy Now for £15.79

Summary

As heard on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week

A new history of ingenuity from the author of The Secret Lives of Colour.

From the mummies of Ancient Egypt; via the silken dragon robes of Imperial China and the woollen sails of Viking longboats to the Indian calicoes and chintzes that powered the Industrial Revolution (and sparked more than one war); arriving finally at the lab-blended fibres that have allowed astronauts to moonwalk -- fabrics, manmade and natural, have changed and shaped the world we live in.

In twelve fascinating chapters, Kassia St Clair lays out an alternative history of civilisation and human creativity. Wittily written and compellingly argued, this book will change the way you see the world.

©2018 Kassia St Clair (P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Art World Ancient History Ancient Egypt War China Middle Ages Mummy Steampunk Africa
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
All stars
Most relevant
Really enjoyable, and gave me a good few bullets to slapdown naysayers, but a bit of a slog.
Worth sticking with it.

Interesting but slow

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fabric explained using historical context - if you enjoy historical non-fiction, I would highly recommend this book. With sections broken down into different materials (cotton, linen etc), the author takes us through a timeline starting in the neolithic and ending in the future of fabric.

Well written and engaging

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a fascinating history of fabrics, but unfortunately the narrator doesn't live up to the material. At times her voice wobbled and she sounded almost tearful. At other times it just grated. I would love to hear this read well.

Poor narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a wide ranging history of textiles and threads travelling from Egypt to China, Yorkshire to the cotton plantations of the southern USA, Antarctica to Everest, Outer space to Olympic swimming pools and much more. It is also the secret history of women and their unsung roles in the economics of empires. It is really very good.

A fascinating history

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I haven't listened to such a riveting read in a long while. Engaging, well informed and erudite, it kept me listening from start to finish. Well worth it.

Brilliant!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews