The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History

Fascinating…. Written in elegant prose, this tour of textile history will draw in readers interested in human evolution and culture.–Publishers Weekly [starred review]Hugely ambitious, sparklingly erudite, and wonderfully engaging.–Peter Frankopan
Joyful and beautiful.
Will make you rethink your relationship with fabric.
The history of the world through the eye of a needle…. [F]ascinating…. I recommend this book to anyone.–Katrina Gulliver
A charming, absorbing history that takes us on a journey from the silk roads to sportswear, from ruffs to spacesuits…. I devoured this quietly feminist book.[A] spirited, illuminating cultural history on essential fibers that have been spun, knitted, and woven throughout time, from traces of thread discovered in Neolithic caves to the multilayered “one-person spaceships” worn by American astronauts…. Vibrant, entertaining, and brightly informative.
A fascinating look at one of those everyday things many of us take for granted: fabric. Instead of tackling fabric’s entire history, St. Clair…. skips across centuries and around the world, sharing accessible and telling stories…. Whether sharing the silk-making secrets of Chinese empresses or exposing the benefits of performance-enhancing swimsuits, this extensively documented and always entertaining overview works equally well for reading cover to cover or dipping into for snippets.–Kathleen McBroom, Booklist