Reviews (2)

an excellent primer, but...
...I disagree with the author saying that "every rug needs a degree of breathing space". I realize that is a Westernized viewpoint, and tastes vary...but these beautiful one-of-a-kind works of art were originaly intended to cover a tent floor...to the point of overlapping at times ! My preference is to see them in close proximity to each other, a glorious mosaic of rich color and design. However little you know you'll snap up better buys!
If you wouldn't know a Kilim if it bit you in the leg, you'll soon be able to do a lot more than just bluff your way in the world of rugs! This book takes you through it all quite painlessly!Read more

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

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

Reviews (2)

Buy it and read it before buying an oriental rug
This is a folksy book written by one of the few Americans who really knew oriental rugs.Colonel Jacobsen clearly states that this is a book intended to help people purchase their first oriental rug.If you intendto buy one, read this book first, and you will not make a mayor mistakeeither in terms of money or quality.And after you have bought your rug,the Colonel will show you how to take care of it better than most...Yes,some information may be outdated about Iran and the Central Asian region ingeneral.The book was first published in 1969.But the main purpose ofthe book remains as useful today as then.Besides there is no comparablenewly published book in its price category. The Jacobsen family is stillselling rugs and their reputation continues today as high as ever, a featin an arcane and exoteric business.

You're wasting your time by buying this book...
This book is terrible, and one can hardly believe that it's made it to fourth edition.The book was written by a rug salesman in 1969 with the sole purpose of motivating customers to purchase rugs at the salesman's Florida stores.Now that it's 1997 one must even assume that that piece of information is moot due to the fact that unless the salesman is one of the oldest living inhabitants of the U.S., he is most likely pushing up pink flamigos in some Floridian cemetary ... Read more

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

Subjects:  1. Antiques / Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Oriental rugs    4. Rugs    5. Rugs, Oriental    6. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. Antiques / Collectibles    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Carpets    5. Europe    6. Reference    7. Rug Making    8. Rugs    9. United States    10. Carpets & rugs    11. North America   

Reviews (3)

Fantastic Reference
This is probably the most frequently used carpet book I have.I'm not a dealer or serious collector - just wanted to buy nice rugs for the house but I wanted to know what I was buying.I first found this at the library and ended up buying it (along with 2 others that are bigger and different).I go to this book first every time I have a question.This book has great maps of the areas, history of the people in each of the areas, great drawings and explainations of the different symbols and motifs, discussions on the knots/weaves and what to look for in terms of quality, typical indications of what to look for in each type of carpet, and more.We recently returned from a trip to Turkey/Istanbul where we went to the Grand Bazaar and bought carpets for the house - it was lots of fun (great people)- and I feel that this book really helped me not only appreciate the rug making and understand some of the history but also make more informed decisions when shopping.Highly recommeded!

A good book for beginners
This book looks like a beginner level general rug book but it is actually very useful. Of all of my beginner books this is one I still go back to...

pretty basic primer
this is a pretty basic primer for those just beginning to collect oriental carpets.There are quite a few pictures/examples, although the book is less than comprehensive. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Asia    5. Asian    6. Carpets    7. Furniture    8. Identification    9. Oriental rugs    10. Rug Making    11. Rugs    12. Rugs, Oriental   

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. England    5. Rag rugs    6. Rugs    7. United States   

Reviews (3)

Good Text for a Course
This is a beautiful book with careful drawings and magnificent color photographs. It is a serious scholarly work. An ideal text for a course on Oriental Carpets.

Questioning Oriental Carpet Authority
Dr. Gantzhorn's book is both a fabulous bargain, with over 600 beautiful color plates, and a ground-breaking work of art history scholarship.If you are open to an iconoclastic view of carpet weaving history, i.e.,history which differs from the official one, you owe it to yourself toconsider Dr. Gantzhorn's carefully researched and documented thesis.

guarded praise
a mildly goofy interpretation that claims ArmenianChristian origin for oriental carpets, ill organized, with excruciating page layout, but the sources consulted and the rich illustration make an interesting read and aswell an incredible bargain ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques / Collectibles    2. Armenia    3. Art    4. Asian    5. Design - Textile & Costume    6. History    7. Repetitive patterns (Decorative arts)    8. Rug Making    9. Rugs    10. Rugs, Oriental    11. Themes, motives   

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

Reviews (1)

Tribal Rugs
4 and a half stars
Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Asia, Central    5. Middle East    6. Rugs    7. Rugs, Nomadic    8. Antiques & Collectibles / Rugs   

Reviews (3)

A comprehensive and well illustrated book
This is a well presented and informative book, covering the history,manufacture, style and quality of Persian carpets. It is well illustratedwith full page photographs of the different styles and patterns of carpetsfrom numerous districts of Iran. As well as the brief opening section onhistory, patterns, manufacturing techniques etc., there is a useful tableof information about different rugs, indicating sizes, quality and origin.Each photograph is accompanied by a brief description. It is here that Ifound the book lacking in its overall degree of content and scholarship. Iam much more impressed with the extent of knowledge and detail which can befound in "Oriental Carpet Design" by PRJ Ford. This book is morecomprehensively illustrated and has vastly more information in all areas.It is also cheaper!

The Best Persian Reference Guide To Date.
Easy to use.Table referencein the opening section gives a quick overview of the various regions.Good color illustrations coupled with comprehensive cross referencing makes this a "must have" referencebook.

The most comrehensive work on the Persian capet
This is a scholarly and easy-to- use view of the Persian capet-- in history and in the present. It is organized by geographical regions and includes an enormous number of color photos-- for each region. The description for each type of Persian carpet is concise and very helpful in determining quality and other criteria about particular types. This is the book I return to time after time. ... Read more

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

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American - Native American    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies    5. History    6. Navajo textile fabrics    7. Reference    8. Rugs    9. Southwest, New    10. Textile design    11. Antiques & Collectibles / Rugs    12. Art of indigenous peoples    13. Carpets & rugs    14. USA   

Subjects:  1. American - Native American    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Arizona    5. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Tribes    6. Navajo textile fabrics    7. Rugs    8. Trading posts    9. Weaving   

Subjects:  1. Antiques / Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Architecture    4. Interior Design - General    5. Rugs    6. Antiques & Collectibles / General   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Asian    4. Design - Textile & Costume    5. Rugs    6. Carpets & rugs    7. Crafts & Hobbies / Rugs    8. Tibet   

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Asian    5. Design - Textile & Costume    6. Rugs    7. Carpets & rugs    8. Iran    9. Oriental art   

Subjects:  1. Antiques / Collectibles    2. Middle East - Turkey    3. Reference    4. Rugs    5. Antiques & collectables: carpets, rugs & textiles    6. Oriental art    7. Textile arts    8. Travel & holiday guides    9. Turkey   

Reviews (1)

The book is a good overview of carpets.
This book is a good overview of carpets produced in eight areas- Anatolia, Persia, The Caucasus, Western Turkestan, Eastern Turkestan, India, China, and Europe.The listing of these titles of the various carpet areas should tell you that this book has focused on historical carpets.It is neither the most basic nor the most detailed of books on this subject.There is more emphasis on earlier, more historical carpets, and on more commercially produced rather than tribal carpets. The photographs are wonderful. Overall, I would give this book high marks.Target market for this book would be interior designers or highly informed buyers, not so much the rug dealers or other professionals who want even more detailed information. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Carpets    5. History    6. History - General    7. Rugs    8. Textile Arts - General    9. Antiques & collectables: carpets, rugs & textiles    10. Art / Design / Decorative   

Reviews (1)

Presents a good overview of types, terminologies and regions
Nicely bound, beautiful pictures, well written, great initial tour of the regional variations, styles, and terminologies.A good starting point for collectors of older rugs, not as a buying guide for new rugs.Overall, an excellent value. - Chris Miller ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Collectors and collecting    2. Oriental rugs    3. Rugs    4. Rugs, Oriental    5. Sale Adult - Antiques / Collectables    6. Sale Books   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Asian    5. General    6. Rugs    7. Antiques & Collectibles / General    8. Antiques & Collectibles / Rugs    9. Antiques & collectables: carpets, rugs & textiles    10. Carpets & rugs