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The Golden Thread
The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History | Kassia St Clair
12 posts | 6 read | 1 reading | 20 to read
** A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK ** 'Fascinating . . . The history of the world through the eye of a needle . . . I recommend this book to anyone' THE SPECTATOR 'A charming, absorbing and history that takes us on a journey from the silk roads to sportswear, from ruffs to spacesuits . . . I devoured this quietly feminist book' SUNDAY TIMES 'Joyful and beautiful' NATURE 'Will make you rethink your relationship with fabric' ELLE DECORATION All textiles begin with a twist. From colourful 30,000-year old threads found on the floor of a Georgian cave to what the linen wrappings of Tutankhamun's mummy actually meant; from the Silk Roads to the woollen sails that helped the Vikings reach America 700 years before Columbus; from the lace ruffs that infuriated the puritans to the Indian calicoes and chintzes that powered the Industrial Revolution, our continuing reinvention of cloth tells fascinating stories of human ingenuity. When we talk of lives hanging by a thread, being interwoven, or part of the social fabric, we are part of a tradition that stretches back many thousands of years. Fabric has allowed us to achieve extraordinary things and survive in unlikely places, and this book shows you how -- and why. With a cast that includes Chinese empresses, Richard the Lionheart and Bing Crosby, Kassia St Clair takes us on the run with escaped slaves, climbing the slopes of Everest and moonwalking with astronauts. Running like a bright line through history, The Golden Thread offers an unforgettable adventure through our past, present and future.
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Lindy
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Charlotte Cooper, the British gold medalist in both the tennis singles and mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics in 1900, played in a tight-fitting, ankle-length skirt, a blouse buttoned up to her neck and down to her wrists, a corset and heeled shoes.

Suet624 Oof 10mo
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jenniferw88
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mabell Cool cover! 3y
CrowCAH This would be interesting. And it kinda works for North and South too! 3y
74 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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mrsmarch
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#bookspin for November! Some October holdovers and a backlog of cozy mysteries.

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! 3y
Drnkpnkprincess It‘s been sitting on my shelf forever so thank you for reminding me I need to read 3y
ValerieAndBooks Ooh, I have been curious about Elliott Pattison‘s mysteries. Look forward to what you think. And I saw the Robert E Lee and me book at my son‘s college bookstore— the author is an alumni. But we were already spending too much by simply being there for Parents Weekend. So I look forward to your thoughts on that one, too. 3y
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ValerieAndBooks And yes, I know the Phillis Wheatley is a DAR book. Will get to that one eventually. I‘m currently reading the Pocahontas one but it is very slow going for me. 3y
mrsmarch @ValerieAndBooks That makes me sad about the Pocahontas one being a slow read. I had been excited about it. 3y
ValerieAndBooks @mrsmarch There is just so much information packed into it. It‘s not just about the story of Pocahontas herself also but the history of her times and also that of Native American stories and mythology. So there‘s a lot to absorb (edited) 3y
26 likes6 comments
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mrsmarch
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Modest points this week but I‘ve been dead busy. 452 total for 4 hours of reading, 1 spooky show (the Halloween episode of Jessie, “The Whining”), 260 game points, wrapping up Toucan Keep a Secret, reading the Little Golden Book “The Haunted Mansion” to the little, and 2 participation points. Tomorrow I am getting on a plane headed to NC and VA!

#TeamSlaughter Week 2 = 452 points 🎃 👻 🔪 🦜

Texreader Amen!! 3y
Clwojick Woohoo! 🖤 3y
29 likes2 comments
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BookishMarginalia
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Looks right up my alley! Well done, @WanderingBookaneer 💜💜💜

WanderingBookaneer I try my best, wife. 3y
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BookishMarginalia
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@WanderingBookaneer came home from her #indie visit with some gifts for me! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

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bookandbedandtea
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1- tagged book plus The River, Paper and Ink, and a fair dose of fanfiction 😆
2- Disappearing Earth, The Family Upstairs, American Sherlock
3- sort of: our sweet old lady died a month ago but my son lives here with his giant doggo
#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

rachelsbrittain So sorry to hear about your loss but glad you still have a doggo in your life 5y
20 likes1 comment
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bookandbedandtea
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Starting this tonight. 🤩

Aimeesue That sounds strangely fascinating! 5y
bookandbedandtea @Aimeesue It truly is! (Well, the first couple chapters have been) 5y
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bookandbedandtea
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Got myself a Christmas present while I was shopping. That's how it works, right?! 😁

marleed Right! 5y
bookandbedandtea @marleed Thanks for the validation! 😉💜 5y
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iread2much
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Mehso-so

This book started strong, got bogged down in the middle and fizzled at the end. It felt like the author starts with a history of cloth and ends with commentary on sports. I wanted more about the history and development of synthetic fibers and less than on random history of specific products. I give this a 2/5 stars

LeahBergen Your dogs are so cute. 😍 5y
iread2much @LeahBergen thanks so much 😄 5y
9 likes2 comments
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shanaqui
Pickpick

Hmm, I didn't pick up her previous book since I thought it seemed to glance off the surface too much, from a brief flip through it in Waterstones. Now I wish I had picked it up, if it's like this one -- just the right degree of breadth vs depth, and very easy to read too. Thing I didn't know: Viking sails were made of wool.

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cachoo
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Learnt so much about textile history from this book and loved every minute of it.