Selling Silks: A Merchant's Sample Book

Fantastic book! With story told and good quality pictures

Stunning book, impressive scholarship, heart stoppingly beautiful silks. For several periods in the 18th century, England banned the importation of French silks for various commercial and political reasons. This did not stop wealthy English customers from wanting to buy the silks of France. The sample book reproduced here is plausibly presented as a sample book for English buyers to order the French silks they desired...illegaly. Confiscated by an English customs official, the sample book went through various hands until it was purchased by the V&A. This is an important book. The samples are photographed brilliantly-fiendishly difficult to do. The author leaves no stone unturned to place the silks, and their makers into commercial and historic context. And even a casual look through the books will amaze you-the technical range, the colorways, the designs, and the sheer rococo exuberance is entrancing. You will ache to own just a small fragment. This book is as close as you will get. If you love fashion, fabric, or are a designer, if you costume for stage or theatre, or just delight in beauty, invest in this book.

I recently saw a review of this book in "World of Interiors" and was delighted that I was able to order it ("one click!") from Amazon. THIS is a lot of bang for the buck -- a beautifully-designed volume with gorgeous photography of the fabric swatches -- and a real dedication to presenting the pages as-near-to-the-real-thing as possible. I am so pleased that publishers (in this case, V&A --- Who better, right?) have begun to realize that there is a hunger to explore these rare and arcane sample books.....a trend that I hopes continues. Dare I say? -- I would be first in line if the V&A published a whole series of these amazing sample books, different cultures/different eras. I am so happy to add this book to my art library.

I've wanted this book for ages, so I was thrilled that it came in such wonderful condition. It's huge, the quality of paper is gorgeous, the photography is very very good. I poured over this for hours and it's the kind of show stopper that will grab one's attention over and over again. My only wish is to find the same kind of book for the 19th century from The Prince Regent through Edward VII Britain which imported fabric from all over the world and produced a lot of its own.

Republication of the old sample book is interesting to peruse.

This book is a must have for anyone that loves textiles. The photos are stunning. There is a reverence about the history and your imagination will be perked. I discovered it in World of Interiors and thought it would make a great gift....my curiosity was not going to rest until I ordered it . It arrived and I was more than satisfied....had to keep it for myself and order another.......you can buy it with confidence knowing that it a gorgeous and truly informative addition to your library or a stunning gift.

Fabulous book. The color photography is beautiful and the paper is high quality gloss that makes you want to touch the large samples. This is more than the title suggests and should please any fan of color or pattern. The additional info about the history of the original 1700's book is apx. 1/4 of the book and includes historical information about the silk industry as well as a few portraits of dress of the period. This goes into my permanent collection.

Loved it! Made me drool to see those lovely fabrics.

Ein besonders beeindruckendes Dokument textiler Kostbarkeiten. Eine aufschlussreiche Inspiration für Liebhaber antiker Textilien. Auch für die Reenactment Szene unumgänglich. Ein Muss!

What a fabulous book! Entire pages from the original sample book are printed so you feel you are really looking through the original. Most interesting & highly recommended to anyone interested in textiles & their history.

Si tratta di un bel volume illustrato. Dopo un'introduzione è riprodotto interamente il volume di campioni di seta. Proprio quello che cercavo!

Great resource for design inspiration

everything perfect