Reviews (6)

Required reading
This book is required reading for anyone wishing to enter the Oriental carpet business. It is also a fabulous reference source for the home buyer.

Incredible reference!!
This book is definitely worth every penny!It goes into great detail on the different types of rugs, the history of the people (from a rug making perspective).There are beautiful pictures of rugs as examples, maps showing both the old names of areas as well as those in use today.The writing style is fun to read (not overly dry).The first 80 mpgs or so are dedicated to the rug and rumaking tself - construction, dyes, design, the people who make them.The rest of the book is broken down into the different areas where rugs were/are made.These sections provide great details on the specifics of the styles of rugs produced by those people, why they use certain colors etc.Excelent excellent book!I'd buy it again in a heart beat.Its a big book so its not so easy to take on a trip but a great book to have at home to read through and learn from.

Good!
A bit pricy but worth it.I bought it to read on my way to the UAE/Bahrain.I was planning on buying a carpet and this went a long way towards helped me to know what I was looking at and what to look for.A great book for the novice and experienced, alike.Everybody wanted to borrow it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Oriental rugs    5. Rugs    6. Rugs, Oriental    7. Antiques & Collectibles / Rugs   

Reviews (7)

VERY weak for the price
little or no technical explanation of each carpet, just page after page ofblurry, low-color pictures, and no grouping of any kind.junk.

Best of the Best
Of the half dozen books on oriental carpets I have, this is far and away the best.While most books on the subject are often somewhat snobbish in their approach, this book is refreshinglyrealistic and inclusive.And this is comment is from someone who enjoys buying and selling oriental carpets and rugs.
Outstanding
It really is outstanding. A great resource for anyone who is looking to buy an Oriental Rug.Very Instructive ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques / Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Rugs    4. Rugs, Oriental    5. Antiques & collectables: carpets, rugs & textiles    6. Carpets & rugs   

Reviews (1)

Not for the beginner -incomplete and misleading
This book is certainly not a complete guide. If you buy just one book on oriental rugs this should not be the one. It is overly simplistic in some area and overly detailed in others.
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Subjects:  1. Antiques / Collectibles    2. Art    3. Rugs    4. Rugs, Oriental   

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. General    5. Rugs    6. Spain    7. Wines   

Reviews (1)

Excellent introduction
Joyce Ware's book offers a superior way to educate yourself on fine rugs in a short time, and it's well written, to boot.Highly recommended by this lover of rugs. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Rugs    5. Antiques & Collectibles / Rugs   

Reviews (1)

Well Done
Beautiful. A clear and concise readable guidline. There were a lot of wonderful pictures and all the information was very clear and understandable. A very valuable source for anyone who is thinking of buying an Oriental Rug. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Carpets    5. Rugs    6. Rugs, Oriental    7. Antiques & collectables: carpets, rugs & textiles    8. Carpets & rugs   

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Collectors and collecting    4. Crafts / Hobbies    5. North America    6. Rugs    7. Rugs, Hooked   

Reviews (4)

Consider this book a VERY basic introduction only
If you are interested in buying a book to learn just the basics of Oriental Rugs in a short time span, this book is just fine.The content is good, and there are about 20 pages of glossy pictures showing different designs of rugs. Plentiful information for novices
I found this book a useful text for beginners.It provides organized information without being overly complex and boring.One benefit of the book is that occasionally when the author makes reference to an item explained in detail elsewhere in the text, a page number is given so the reader can jump to the detailed description if necessary.It's the 1980's version of hyperlinks. The color plates are beautiful, but lack descriptions of the sizes of the rugs.Also lacking is the pronunciation guide; A basic guide exists, but falls short by lacking pronunciations for all but one or two words.I was also hoping to read a discussion of the varrying lengths of rug fringes, which this book did not discuss.A final benefit of the book is the last chapter on the major and minor weaving groups.These sections provide a good source of reference when one needs to get quick, basic information about a particular group.

Great Help for Beginners in Oriental Rugs
If you have recently been bitten by the Oriental Rug bug, here is a down to earth book for to help you through the complicated names of regions and styles.The author gives everything you need to know without overwhelmingyou with a subject and a trade hundreds of years old.Moreover, thepictures are a greatvisual aid for showing examples of rugs mentioned ina well written text.Thisbook will make easier your understanding of thesubject and get you off to agood start to an enjoyable pursuit. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Collectors and collecting    4. General    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Middle Eastern    7. Rug Making    8. Rugs    9. Rugs, Oriental    10. Rugs, Oriental, as an investme    11. Rugs, Oriental, as an investment    12. ASIA    13. Consumer guides & advice    14. Oriental art    15. Textile arts   

Reviews (5)

Rug Abuse
This book is a ruggy good read, more intoxicating than Class A rugs. I recommend reading it rugularly whilst listening to "Rugged Out on Death Row" or suitable Ruggae/Rugga classic. While I'm dishing out advice here is another tasty rugget of information that goes right for the rugular. Don't stick metal objects into rug sockets or you will experience rugor mortis. This book is finer than the collected works exhibited in the Ruggenheim Museum in it's artistic merit. Sit down with a rug of tea perhaps on a rugboat and enjoy it, or even take a bar stool in your local Rug and Lettuce with a rug of frothing ale. If you encounter a buxom young wench with a nice set of rugs, offer to walk her home so she doesn't get rugged. But all this is rendered rugatory when considering the actual subject matter of this book, namely, carpets. Read this book, you'd be a rug not to. If you don't, well, you've rug your own grave.
MORE THAN JUST ABOUT RUGS . . .
What I mean is, the book is full of vignettes that illustrate basic points about shopping--AND EVEN ABOUT NEGOTIATING !!--things that are obvious once you think about them, but which you might never have realized.My favorite example:Suppose you see a rug with a price tag of a certain amount, and you say to the salesperson, "The most I'd pay is [such-and such]"--well, what you've really just said, without knowing it, is that the amount you said is THE LEAST you're going to pay, not "the most," because you've shown that you're willing to pay it and that you can. It's a useful kind of thing to be aware of for any deal you might ever be involved in, whether as buyer or seller. I'm sure you could get things like this from Donald Trump's books, but it's interesting that they're here too.
A good guide to purchasing that first Parsian Carpet
I first encountered Rugs_to_Riches when I was researching and planning the purchase of my Persian Rug.I found five books at my local library, one of them dated 1908, that covered the topic of purchasing and keeping orientalcarpets.All of them, with the exception of Rugs_to_Riches stated that"the carpets you buy today aren't as good as the old ones available30, or 40, years ago."This is basically balderdash!Read more

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Asian    3. Design - Textile & Costume    4. Rugs    5. Rugs, Oriental    6. Antiques & Collectibles / Rugs    7. Art, fine art, decorative arts   

Reviews (6)

An Alternative perspective.
I recently purchased John Gregorian's book with the anticipation that it would resemble his father's earlier book that is among my favourite "rug books".(I have been a collector for over 30 years.) I was disappointed and must add it to other texts of recent years that do not offer a balanced view of present day rug production. The Ultimate Guide to buying oriental rugs
We are avid rug collectors and found this book to be a valuable resource. Even though we are fairly knowledgeable about rugs, we still learned from this book. It's the kind of book we wish we had when we were first starting our collection. The author reveals so much in a truly delightful way -- it's kind of like having a close friend or family member with many years ofexperience guide you through the whole world of oriental rugs. It's hard to say what we like best about this book because it is such a quality piece of work -- from the thoughtful and interesting writing, to the stunning color and black and white photographs, to the fine typesetting, layout and binding. This book is a work of art in and of itself, much like a fine oriental rug. We especially like the colorful stories about the rugweavers, their culture, and way of life. Art is often a greatwindow on another culture, and the author gets this across ina beautiful way.

Informative fascinating reading for oriental rug enthusiasts
In Oriental Rugs Of The Silk Route, John Gregorian draws upon his years ofexpertise to provide an illustrated tour of modern day oriental rug-makingcenters. The informative, often fascinating text is beautifully andprofusely illustrated with superb color photography, complemented byvintage bland-and-white images of Middle-Easter villages and cities, therug-making culture and process. The reader will find a wealth of expertadvice for buying an oriental rug, how to evaluate quality and price,buying and trading customs (with tips on negotiating a purchase), andinvaluable ideas respecting interior decoration with original rugs.Oriental Rugs Of The Silk Route is enhanced further with a glossary oforiental rug terminology and a helpful appendix on oriental rug cleaningand repair. Oriental Rugs Of The Silk Route is rewarding reading for theoriental rug enthusiast, and a highly recommended introduction for thenovice. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Asian    3. Crafts / Hobbies    4. Decorating    5. Design - Decorative    6. Rugs    7. Rugs, Oriental    8. Antiques & Collectibles / Rugs    9. Architecture / Interior Design    10. Carpets & rugs    11. China    12. Oriental art   

Subjects:  1. Antiques / Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Rugs    4. Antiques & Collectables    5. Sale Books   

Reviews (1)

The Big Book of Hooked Rugs
This book makes a great reference.It provides a wide variety of themes, color palates, and styles to incorporate into your new creations, beside being a great resource for collectors. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Crafts / Hobbies    5. History    6. Rugs    7. Rugs, Hooked    8. United States    9. Antiques & collectables: carpets, rugs & textiles   

Reviews (1)

Covering new ground
I am biased, Moholy Nagy, Joseph Albers and Johannes Itten and their cohorts at the Bauhaus left an indelible mark on my artist's soul. When I saw this book I actually two-steppped a little jig for joy. The application of modernist patterns to this fiberous, color-satuating medium is in many ways a perfect example of the Weimar/Dessau ethos: " form will always follow function", is still a very pertinant, clear, and vibrant idelogy. The beautifully printed photos of the carpets are worth the price of the book, as they serve as excellent sources of inspiration and study. The book's design is well-thought out and allows the fabrics and weavings to come alive on the pages. It is a fortunate thing that younger talented, art historians like Ms. Day are allowing themselves and their readers the pleasure of rediscovering the wealth and elegance of Modernist ideas as a healingantiodote to our current age of mass art confusion. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Carpets    6. Design    7. Design - Textile & Costume    8. Europe    9. History    10. History - Modern (Late 19th Century to 1945)    11. Influence    12. Modernism (Art)    13. Rugs    14. Art / Design / Textile & Costume   

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. General    5. Rugs    6. Antiques & collectables: carpets, rugs & textiles   

Reviews (8)

This is a terrific resource
This book has the best information I've found on distinguing one type of rug from another.Many books give information about the major types of rugs...they're a dime a dozen.Ford breaks everything down into what specific tribes and villages weave, and tells us what the weavers use for warps and wefts, distinguishing colors, area motifs and designs, and more.
An Excellent Textbook
I collect Oriental rugs and Oriental rug books.This book is not for the beginner, but is meant for in-depth study of the subject of Oriental rugs.As you read you are directed to other pages for study and comparison.This is a time consuming but valuable process.If one wants to really study Oriental rugs this book can elevate you from beginner to a person who is comfortable with the subject and able to talk with experts. I used this book as a self teaching text book and loved it.

Wonderful!
I bought this book after going to the library and checking out a number of carpet books - I was looking for a reference that would teach me some of the history of rug making and the people who make these incredible pieces of art as well as the practical side such as what to look for in a rug.This book is great at teaching about the different types of rugs.There are color pictures on every page, there are drawings of specific patterns so you can see specifically what make a rug one type rather than another, there are uncommon examples of types of rugs shown, etc.Its quite a good book (which is why I bought it after returning the library copy).This book is ok at teaching about the history/people or about how to tell a good quality rug - the intro goes into some good detail about things like knot types, weaves, use of synthetic dyes, chinese rugs etc but it's a fanatsic guide to decoding the different traditional motifs and patterns. I'm giving it 4 stars rather than 5 only because the text is so dry and they don't really give the stories - they give more dry facts such as this type of rug was woven in this manufacturing/village setting in x,y,z town.It would have been niceto have more details about the people and about the symbolism of the motifs.But, like I said, I knew all that before I bought the book since I had checked t out at the library.I use this book to augment others that I ended up buying that do tell more of the stories. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Middle Eastern    3. ASIA    4. Ancient World    5. Carpets & rugs    6. Eastern Europe    7. Reference works    8. Rugs    9. Antiques & Collectibles    10. Antiques/Collectibles    11. Rugs, Oriental   

Subjects:  1. Antiques / Collectibles    2. Art    3. Design - Textile & Costume    4. General    5. Rugs    6. Carpets & rugs    7. History of specific subjects    8. Iran   

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Canada    4. Crafts / Hobbies    5. History    6. Rugs    7. Rugs, Hooked    8. Textile Arts    9. United States    10. Antiques & Collectables   

Reviews (1)

Good book for a short pictorial overview of Navajo rugs
Although this book is short on written content, it makes up for its brevity with a great selection of colourful pictures from many Navajo styles. This book focuses on a historic review of styles rather than a "how-to" for new weavers.It's short andit's inexpensive, so don't expect a thorough overview. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - Native American    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Crafts & Hobbies    4. Hobbies/Crafts    5. Navajo textile fabrics    6. Rugs    7. Textiles & Costume    8. Weaving   

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Asian    5. Rugs    6. Afghanistan    7. Antiques & collectables: carpets, rugs & textiles   

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Design - Textile & Costume    5. Rugs