Threads of Empire is an intriguing, well-researched book that approaches art & history from a unique perspective. Author Dorothy Armstrong showcases her depth of knowledge, personal experience, and deep love for the art of carpet weaving in this work to bring ancient history to life. I thoroughly enjoyed looking up each of these carpets and following along as Armstrong describes the motifs, recounts the journey of how the piece came to be part of a modern collection, and tells the history of the time and place during which the carpet was created. This book is not a lesson on the history of carpets — It is a world history lesson told through the woven art of carpets.

There are many things to appreciate about this book, but one thing that really stood out to me was how the author made a point throughout to address problematic aspects of art curation & collection, such as colonialism, cultural appropriation, stolen artifacts, etc. These topics are seamlessly woven into the discussion, provoking the reader to think about these things, but without pulling the reader out of the story being told about each piece.

While I did not expect to pick up and enjoy a book about carpets throughout history, Threads of Empire was a delightful surprise. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for inviting me to read an ARC.

This was an intriguing and informative account of some historically significant carpets throughout the world and history! I loved getting some backstory on how these carpets were made and their historical significance based on where they were or what time period they saw. There were so many amazing facts and tidbits throughout this book that were fascinating to learn about! Definitely worth the read!

Threads of Empire tells the story of 12 different carpets. The description calls it a history of the world, but nearly all chapters focus on carpets that ended up in Europe or North America. Each chapter follows a carpet from where it was likely woven to the wealthy and powerful who bought them.

I enjoyed this book overall, but there were definitely chapters that I thought were stronger than others. In particular chapters 1 and 10. There were, however, a few chapters that felt like they got away from the carpets and felt like they were more filler than substance. This seemed to happen when the history of the particular carpet was well recorded and there wasn't much left to discover.

The title of this book immediately took my mind to the rich world of culture, folklore and history. Carpets hold a certain allure and I was thrilled to learn more about author Dorothy Armstrong's "most storied" carpets created. As she says, this is a book about the relationships between carpets and power, in many different ways. A few extremely wealthy people obtained priceless carpets made by poor weavers. These weavers all had stories. But politics, tradition, religion and culture had roles and also illumined craftmanship. I wonder more about these people and in what context they made such wonderful creations. One of the most touching stories in this book is about a group of Indian prisoners who made the sheep's wool V&A carpet in jail. Another is the incredibly beguiling story about the small rugs in Iran critical for bread baking.

I absorbed information like a sponge including the carpets themselves, starting in the fifth century BC continuing until more recent times. Learning about shimmer, colours, motifs, designs and inscriptions (such as the Ardabil carpet) taught me much more about history and culture. I like that the Age of Empire knotted-pile Pazyryk carpet was frozen in time in a burial chamber with horses and what John Paul Getty did with one of his acquisitions for the sake of testing. But this book is chock full of geopolitics, too, which beautifully connected my brain with the carpets.

My copy of the book did not have photographs which would have been so useful. However, I felt compelled to do some internet digging so I could envision what I was reading about. On a smaller scale as an embroiderer, I can understand and appreciate the amount of skill and work which goes into this art and can envision the weavers working during daylight hours, some expertly with care, others forced to with fear of punishment. Very interesting!

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book that tells the history of the world through something that we take for granted, something to keep our feet from getting cold on the ground, the humble carpet.

My parents first big purchase after buying the house I grew up in was carpeting. The apartment they owned in the Bronx had not carpeting, maybe an area rug or two. The apartments they both grew up in also in the Bronx, had no carpeting either. I remember being told numerous times not to make noise to bother the neighbors downstairs, to walk carefully and softly. So my parents first big splurge was carpet. Upstairs, downstairs, the hallways, the bedrooms. Everything had carpets. They felt like they had made it, they had come to the suburbs, bought a house, and had wall-to-wall carpeting. Carpets have long been a sign of wealth. For a time only the rich, the powerful, the despotic, all had carpets, for their animals, their guests, and their throne rooms. Some of these were to celebrate great events, some just to show off. Threading back to the earliest days people have been weaving, carpets, the technology might have changed but the ideas are still the same. Along with the history they tell. Threads of Empire: A History of the World in Twelve Carpets by Dorothy Armstrong, looks at the world through the carpets that were created, some destroyed, some lost, others deep in museums unable to be seen in the light, but all with a tale about their creation and their creators.

The book begins with Armstrong discussing how an interest in carpets began. A carpet to big to travel to Cairo shared Armstrong's place in Cambridge and the the more Armstrong stared the more fascinating the carpet became. Soon Armstrong was taking classes, and visiting museums to learn as much as she could about carpets, their techniques and history. The book is broken into twelve chapters, each dealing with a particular carpet, from the earliest found antique, to the carpeting that laid under three man at Yalta who basically divided the world amongst each other. Each chapter offers a description to how the carpet was made, who for, and what was happening around the creators. What was the political life, any wars, battles, coups and more. Armstrong looks at the creators, mostly poor people with a skill, creating works to be shown in throne rooms, or to tell the story of a wedding, or a birth. Armstrong looks at how techniques were learned, passed on, adapted, or became passé. Dyes, fabrics, and designs are looked at, with illustrations showing the carpets if possible, or art if the carpets have gone missing, or been destroyed.

A different way of looking at the world, but one that I thought really worked well. The best part about this is that Armstrong looks at parts of the world that really doesn't get much attention. Central Asia, the far East, and gives not just a broad outline of their history, but looks at key moments, sometimes even reflected in the carpets creation. Armstrong is a very good writer, able to describe how to dye fabric, how civilizations rose and fell, and personal stories about the lives of weavers. Much of this is not something I was familiar with, and found very compelling and taught me quite a bit.

History readers will learn quite a lot from this, not only about carpets, but about the world, the past and modern world. There ia archeology, weaving, war, famines, and travelers tales, that form a very strong narrative, and one I enjoyed. Fans of craft making might even learn something from the work of these ancient artisans, creating works that have lasted so long.

Carpets. They've been with us for a long time, the oldest evidence of this dating back to early civilizations. Techniques have advanced and migrated. The way carpets are made can tell us a lot about the people who made them, but they can also be surprisingly silent, leaving researchers and collectors to wonder and hope. This book follows the stories of twelve notable carpets, from the oldest known preserved carpet to some of the most contentious and expensive. It explores the cultures that may have created, preserved, or reimagined the carpets and acknowledges that weaving has often been done by those on the margins of recorded history: women, slaves, and other folks whose names we'll never know.

The subtitle indicates that this is the history of the world in 12 carpets, and if that's what you're looking for, I don't think you'll be disappointed. The text goes into some detail about craft, although you may want to have a dictionary handy if you're not familiar with terms like "pile" and "motif." This book has a particular emphasis on culture, exploring the mindset that surrounded the places where these carpets were likely made. It considers the impacts of social movements and conflicting cultures. I was looking for a way to see world history a bit differently than the USA-centric modes I was given in elementary school, and this book, with its focus on the Near East, was pretty eye-opening. I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a n introduction to the history of carpet weaving but also to anyone who, like me, appreciates getting to see history from a different perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Threads of Empire by Dorothy Armstrong is a fascinating look at history and carpets.

If you enjoy histories that center a specific item or activity throughout the ages you will enjoy this book. What makes this particularly interesting is that carpets allow for a history that touches on all the levels of societies as well as covering a broad expanse of time. The time aspect comes into play because we don't just learn about the making of the carpet but also its life as an artifact and collectible.

The review copy doesn't include the two photo insert sections, but that wasn't a major obstacle, the internet allows you to see them anyway. When you have the actual finished book in your hand, I would still recommend using the internet to see more images and details. Plus, having the one you're reading about up on screen is easier than flipping back and forth within a book, physical or ebook.

This will be of interest to those who like the craft of rug making, or any craft that has such a rich history. History buffs will also find a lot to like. Especially if you're interested in how the labor of some people barely getting by can result in such valuable pieces, yet they don't reap the rewards.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Carpets celebrate power but also illuminate powerlessness, and this book essentially examines both sides of that coin. From Threads of Empire by Dorothy Armstrong

I found this history to be fascinating. In learning about twelve carpets I learned so much history that was new to me. And the idea that antique carpets were hand created by nomadic women is truly impressive.

The carpets discussed are chosen to represent an entire history of Oriental carpets, from the very old to the commercial modern. Some are in museums, some were destroyed in war. One lay under the feet of Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin at Yalta. They were woven by women or convicts, were small enough to be used as camel blankets or large enough to fill hallowed spaces. They went from useful household furnishings to collectibles to valuable art displayed in museums.

I learned about the dyes and fibers used in the carpets, the difference between hand knotted pile and flat woven kilims, what the designs in the carpets mean.

The stories behind the carpets are truly fascinating, a glimpse into history.

The question was always about the historical role carpets played, and why they lend themselves to that. This book arises from that long process of questioning the way we talk and think about carpets and look at them as agents in historical events, and particularly at their strong relationship with power. from Threads of Empire by Dorothy Armstrong

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

This book is phenomenal! I will certainly never look at carpets the same way. So deeply researched, presenting fascinating and thought-provoking points. Carpets are one of these art forms that people can project a lot onto, and this book digs deep to find brilliant examples that span the globe.

Threads of Empire: A History of the World in Twelve Carpets by Dorothy Armstrong

I read this book as a person who never thought she'd be reading a book about carpets. I just don't give them much thought but what attracted me to this book is the promise of history, long ago and not all that long ago. We do get history, sometimes more than I could absorb, partly because the book isn't written in chronological order so my mind was having to adjust after it'd just taken in a lot that I'd never known before.

There is so much here, some of which didn't interest me much because I need to get a better background of those particular times and places to be able to understand what was going on better (no fault of the writing, it's just the more I know about a time and place, the better I understand what I read about that time and place). The book covers large timespans and locations, with lots of big and small details. There are times when a person is brought up in one place in the book and then will be mentioned in another place in the book and this is where I might have benefited from things being told in chronological order.

About the carpets, what fascinated me the most, and the author goes into this in better detail, is that there were women living in tents, tending sheep and children day in and day out, having to do all the things a woman in a nomadic tribe has to do to stay alive and thrive, washing, weaving, cooking, preparing everything for daily life, and these women were also weaving magnificent and sometimes, huge, carpets. At that time, the carpets were a part of life, some of them were used to wrap belongings when moving or to wrap up things to be bartered or sold. But the carpets, the designs, the way they were woven, could tell about the people who made them and could contain stories of life and hopes in the design and pictures.

I've always been fascinated by what we don't see on the surface and that's what this book about carpets brought out in me. The image of these women (although some of these carpets were made by boys and men) living their lives, difficult lives full of so much more than making carpets, creating what are works of art and a glimpse into the past. Getting to know a little bit of their way of living, such as a mother in law teaching her future or current daughter in law how to weave a carpet, these parts history, the little details, are so interesting to me.

Reading the book again would allow me to get more from it. Also, it'd give me a chance to look up information on places and locations, to better understand what I'm reading. Dorothy Armstrong is more than a carpet specialist, she's good at story telling and raising my interest in the women (and men) of the past.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Threads of Empire is an examination by Dorothy Armstrong of famous rugs across time and the history associated with them. I know next to nothing about rugs and carpets, but love learning about history in new and different ways, so this book seemed like a good one to read. I read an advanced copy that included no images, which for a non carpet connoisseur I makes it hard to visualize the carpets no matter how well Armstrong describes them. Since it is not intended to be a primer on how rugs are made, when Armstrong talks about the different weaving techniques or patterns it tends to go straight over my head. Perhaps a brief explanation of these (and images that may not be included in the ARC) would be helpful to someone being introduced to rugs for the first time. I struggle with how the best way to structure this book is. Armstrong centers chapters around specific rugs, but some chapters spend way more time on the rug, where others spend way more time focused on the provenance of the rug and the history from its creation to the landmark history it was a part of years and years later. Admittedly, I would probably prefer a format that runs sequentially across time instead of jumping back and forth, but I see where that could have its problems too. There were points where I found this very interesting and other points where I noticed that I started getting in the habit of skimming. This may be because of my personal interests, though I suspect others not heavily interested in carpets and rugs will do it too. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was an unexpected, fascinating treat. Who knew carpets were so interesting

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very rich, very interesting. I love books like these that give you a sideways view of history through some particular kind of object. I kept coming across comments that linked up what I was reading to something I already knew - like, the Mughal Empire fell (and its rugs disappeared) because the Portuguese found a route around Africa to India and China for spices and other trade - which I'd read about in The Taste of Conquest, about the spice trade. I know a bit about carpets, so this was even more interesting as my casual knowledge got expanded (on carpets, and archaeology, and cultural overlap, and trade routes, and...). I was reading an ARC, so no pictures and no linked-up endnotes (the notes are there, mostly, the links aren't). I will be getting this book when it's published in full, I want to see the images - the rugs are carefully described but it's not the same. And besides the content, the style was excellent - a nice mix of research and personal experience, without falling into either the pit of dusty facts or that of irrelevant stories. Hope she writes more, I'll read them.

In the Threads of Empire by Dorothy Armstrong, we are treated to a wide range of historical information from the intricacies of trade routes and the structure of local populations to world politics and the psychology of acquisition. The origin of Persian and similar luxury rugs is much more complex and harder to solve than I would have ever imagined. Although I would have preferred more information about the techniques and process of spinning and weaving, I really appreciated learning more about what kinds of people (the poor, enslaved people, women and children) were often, and continue to be, the producers of such sought after products. Fascinating, too, was the role that the development of Lutheranism played, and the power of influence that an everyday, functional object can have. The quirky characters involved in buying, selling, validating authenticity, and showcasing these rugs make this worth a read.

In other hands, this could have been a very boring history of a somewhat niche product, but Armstrong has such a passion for these rugs, how they came to be, and the way that individuals and groups view them. The research is in depth and really offers an engaging and inclusive view of points in history and their long reaching threads over time.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the eARC.

This book is very informative and interesting! I thought it was just going to be about carpets, but it's so much more! It includes the back history of many civilizations; some of which I'd never heard of. I found it all to be utterly fantastic! I'll never underestimate carpets or their makers again!

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Threads of Empire is fascinating! I've always loved fiber arts and this changed how I view carpet. Carpet means luxury and the history of its creation is wonderful. Thank you for the education.

As an aficionado of 'A History of X in Y Z's' - A History of Venezuela in 5 Candelabras, A History of Finance in 9 Libraries; A History of Distilling in 12 Steps - this book stands out.

First, it puts as much emphasis on the artifact as the process. It is about who made the carpets and how. This looks at people ignored in Horses and Trumpets history, but also includes them when relevant. Mostly, it cuts through lies and marketing. One of the features of Orientalism remains that what was hated was also what was desired, and so the contortions around understanding the meaning and provenance of different carpets was (and is) a significant effort, even if innocent.

Second, it is not a global history as much as an imperial history. This is what I suspect will draw the most flak to the book. It is not 'the world' as it is strictly Eurasian in scope. But it is always Eurasian, reaching Japan at one point, as the carpet is the product of a small group of cultures amidst East and West that acquired its cache through export to East and West, but also between East and West. You could take the carpet out of this history. It would be weird, but it would still be a great survey on empires. But with a focus on this one trade good, we get concrete examples of the complexity of empire, as different powers trade, plunder, and destroy carpets. And complexity is the key there. No empire stands alone, and they are always in contact and conversation. All uses of imperial power are abuses, but some are more benign than others. Thus, someone is going to be upset about "world" not being global and about textiles elsewhere, and someone is going to be upset about a contemporary take on imperialism that challenges its charm and its color. Whatever. If you are like me, this is how you wish it was taught. Presumably you can hit up the bibliography if you want something different.

Third, it is never linear. There is some chronology, but the story here of each of the objects requires linear study. Each chapter throws us back to the beginning, learning about something new or a facet that was mentioned previously but not explored. This is where the material history is allowed to shine. Each chapter has the feeling of a favorite short story where you find more things in it each reading. There is only one chapter where this fails, and that has to do with the narrative being too much of its own story to fit within the confines of the frame. The point is not a singular line of history but several that work through comparison, with different facts and themes reinforcing the other chapters.

Fourth, the carpet itself is a compelling thing to focus on. It is the perfect sort of item for a material history in its odd status as a bifurcated object. Even unto today it exists as something of both high art and of low culture, its function and beauty linked in a manner that I cannot say about a lot of other goods. So we have a sort of intuitive grasp of them as a thing, which the author only goes to emphasize in providing that initial sense of context of each of the carpets. (In other words, I too would be devastated to learn it was not a dowry.)

Overall, a stellar read. Other than being extremely informative. It clarifies lots of errant wrongness in conventional wisdom without being iconoclastic or confrontational. It presents history as a consistent interaction of cultures. And it is specialized enough of a field that the scholars and others involved feel more like characters in fiction, since the same ones reappear and we get to see them develop in different ways. And all of this without any slack in the value as scholarship.

My thanks to the author, Dorothy Armstrong, for writing the book, and to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for making the ARC available to me.

Please sit down and read this book about carpets - something I never, ever thought I would say!

But you know what? Turns out carpets are absolutely fascinating!

The author's enthusiasm for their subject is definitely infectious and, before I knew it, I was reading tidbits of the book aloud to anyone in range. (Most appreciated the knowledge.)

The stories the author brings us are fascinating and enlightening - so much about history, culture, and the place of women, people of color, and the poor are entwined in the subject.

You'll never look at a rug the same away again.

An absolutely riveting (and surprising) read!

This was an intriguing read if not quite the type of nonfiction for me. At most it created a curiosity in me to read more about the actual fiber work tecnquies

Guess I'll have to nag my local library to get a print copy because the e-Galley only has the extensive text and research credits but NONE of the photographs! This is a meticulously researched and documented study of the creation and use of carpet textiles through the centuries while remaining readable rather that pedantic. I learned much but had really hoped for the photos which were referenced time and time again. Excellent reference volume!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.
Pub Date Jun 17, 2025
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