Fascinating read, even though you might hesitate to pick it up.
I really enjoy history – I have 2 degrees in it. I probably would not have picked this book up in a bookstore. I am so glad that I was recommended this book from NetGalley. I really enjoyed learning the common threads (pun intended) in these empires throughout history. The organization of the book was very well-planned and made for an enjoyable read.

old like a friend telling you about their passion.
This book reads like you are sitting with a good friend discussing your weekend. You might not have thought you cared about rugs or history or even global empires, but your friend’s (the author’s) enthusiasm and passion is infectious, and you find yourself enthralled, asking questions, and thrilled you are learning something new.

The Final Verdict: An intriguing read where you discover you’ve learned so many new things without even realizing it. Definitely give it a try!
Stars 4
Would I Recommend? Yes

This wasn't just a book about carpets - it was a book about history and the carpets that were woven during different time periods. As a huge history buff, this aspect was fascinating to me. The ability to impart so much information in a way that wasn''t dry or boring is a testament to Dorothy Armstrong's thoughtful writing and amazing research capabilities. Some sections were more fact based than others, of course, since the carpets discussed dated from BCE to the end of the 20th century, but that was the beauty of this book - the information was just as much about what was happening in different parts of the world at the different times the rugs were woven, as it was about the rugs themselves. Even the time periods where the information was conjecture based 0n our knowledge of what was happening at that time in history, how people lived, traveled and survived, was extremely interesting.

I honestly enjoyed reading Threads of Empire more than I thought I would, and highly recommend it.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Dorothy Armstrong, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review Threads of Empire.

The idea of sharing history through carpets is a great one.
Graphics did not load so I am still wondering what these carpets were.
much information was shared on many pages.

4.5 stars

This was such a well-researched and thoughtfully treated book! I found the use of carpets - their textile motifs and fabrication styles - as a diving off point into geo-political history rather a fascinating premise, and I was not disappointed. Each chapter takes a deep look at one particular carpet: usually rather ancient, sometimes with provable provenance, sometimes not. Most are under lock and key in venerable global museum collections. But the author goes the extra mile (or more) with research into the lineage of each carpet and what was happening in that part of the world at the time of its creation, and then takes you on a journey across its lifespan. I found it fairly easy to distinguish between fact and conjecture throughout most of the book; honestly I enjoyed the way that speculative history was presented in beautiful vignettes. And I can appreciate how much effort went into the research of this, having a professional background in museum and archival collections practices myself. The only reason I can't give this the full five stars is that the photos of the carpets were not included in the advanced reader's copy I received; how much more magical would this experience have been for me had I been able to see the vivid beauty of these carpets myself rather than having to rely on the author's descriptions of them, no matter how thorough they were? However, I'm sure that particular issue will be rectified with the official publication release.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Dorothy Armstrong, and St. Martin's Press for giving me access to a free digital ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

I find it fascinating that one can learn about history in so many different ways. In this interesting title, history is looked at through the lens of twelve carpets from around the world. Readers learn about objects from the third or fourth century BCE, right up to the twentieth century here.

The carpets come from places including Anatolia, Iran, India, Pakistan, and Siberia. There are chieftains, Samurai, Tycoons and others to be found in these pages.

The author opens by writing about how her interest in carpets came about. She then, in a preface, lays out her thesis about rugs and power, noting that these objects were often made by the humble for the wealthy.

This book is written in an engaging style by a writer who knows her subject well. I like that her presence is in these pages when she writes in the first person at times. I admire how she brings history to life.

There is much to learn in these pages for the reader who is interested in this subject or for a reader who is looking on an interesting take on history.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

This is more than a book about just carpets. It is an exploration of the parts twelve carpets have played in world events. Carpets, usually woven by nameless women, have been desired throughout history by sultans and holy men, tycoons and tyrants, and their histories shed light on power dynamics across the ages. The author is a former fellow in carpet studies at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum. The book contains descriptions of some of the rarest and most important carpets ever made. Dorothy Armstrong describes where and when, by whom (as far as one can tell) and for whom each carpet was originally made for. She investigates its afterlife at the feet of the individuals who owned it. Her book spans the globe, though there is a particular focus on the Near East, where most of these carpets were made. Europe and North America are where they have ended up. The carpets reveal cultural biases, colonial greed and gender prejudice. I enjoyed enjoyed this history of the world through the stories of twelve notable carpets. It tells intriguing stories of emperors, shahs, sultans and samurai. It showed me global culture, history and politics through these carpets.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was an interesting book on various rugs and the histories of them. It was interesting to read where they came from and to read how rugs are made. I enjoy learning about the history of things; so this book was right up my alley.

I loved this book! It was so fascinating and engaging. I genuinely learned so much about carpets and a whole lot else.


Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

So Dr. Armstrong takes a fabulous, measured approach to carpets. She focuses on 12 different carpets that are significant for something they tell us. Now that can be their make, their makers, their commissioners, their later buyers, their travels across time, their materials, etc. All of it woven together to create a lovely representation of different times and cultures.

While I loved learning about the different times and cultures, I really appreciated Dr. Armstrong’s approach to the challenges of historical work. She acknowledges in a really kind, appropriate, human way how war, imperialism, etc. affect the carpets, carpet-makers, and others involved in the field. I was particularly struck by her treatment of the ethnographic uses of one carpet by the Russian state and the changes in its use by the state. She also approaches academic/social debates over carpets in a fun way.

Again, I really loved the carpets covered in the book. I learned so much about carpets, such as the different types of carpets across the world. And I picked up so many elements of history that I had forgotten or never encountered before. And it was so engaging! I loved each chapter and just wanted to reread it over and over to learn even more. I even couldn’t help telling my students about some of the carpets because Dr. Armstrong’s presentation was so fascinating.

I highly recommend this book, especially to folks with an art history interest. No carpet-specific background needed! A wonderful presentation of this field.

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.