Oriental Rugs Today

by Emmett Eiland

Book Overview

Demystifying a confusing and intimidating subject, Oriental Rugs Today is the first book devoted exclusively to new pieces. It discusses issues of dye and finish, looks country by country at examples... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1893163032
• ISBN13: 9781893163034
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Berkeley Hills Books
• Length: 197 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.5" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

Outstanding. Great for beginers.

I got the urge to inform myself on the scope of Oriental rugs, and this book is in depth but also general enough for an intelligent beginner. A comprehensive look at oriental rugs that transmits a good feel for the 20th century history of the topic. Luckily, the rug making breaks up nicely into about 8 major countries/geographic regions which lends itself to a 200 page text with ample photos. Well written and with enthusiasm!

Beautiful book

This is one of the best books I've found on Oriental Rugs. The text is very well written and specific to each type of rug shown, and the photography is excellent. Photographs are of representative rugs for each type ("tribe"), and the rugs shown are very colorful with intricate patterns that are sure to stir the heart of every lover of orientals.

An informative and engaging introduction to modern rugs

Unlike the gentleman below, I had little knowledge of oriental rugs prior to reading this book. I found it to be a perfect place to start my education. The text was informative, particularly in regards to the "renaissance" in traditional rugmaking techniques over the past 20 years. He does a wonderful job of covering the pros and cons of natural vs. chrome dyes, and handspun vs. millspun wool - again without being overly opinionated or judgmental despite his personal leanings. The writing was engaging, fair, and accompanied by high-quality photographs (n.b. the photos on his website are the highest resolution I've seen anywhere). He gives equal weight to each country's production. Helpful information is also provided regarding approximate prices per sq. ft. In fact, I liked his book so much that I just purchased two rugs from him - two years after reading the book, and after looking at dozens of sites on the web and a handful of shops in person.

Only book of its kind

I've read both editions of this book and, yes, the first edition only had a few words on Iran but, as the author explained, there was an embargo at the time. The new edition has an entire chapter on new rugs from Iran, with photos of some really gorgeous rugs. Most of my personal knowledge about rugs was that rugs made today are lifeless, uninteresting pieces cranked out from rug factories in places like India and China, or poorly made, touristy pieces from places like Turkey. Boy was I wrong. It's good to know there are finally interesting, attractive, reasonably-priced, handmade carpets available again. The possibility that some carpet made in Iran in the last year or so may rival the beauty of my 19th-Century Persian Bidjar is stunning.

the best guide i've run across

I saw a review of this book in HALI magazine, and have found it clarifies a lot of things that I found confusing and intimidating about buying an Oriental rug. It explains exactly where the rugs in today's rug stores come from, and how much you should expect to pay for them. It's well written and very much on the level-you don't get the impression the author is pushing you to go out and buy something. There's a lot of mystification in the Oriental rug business, and although the book is not an expose in any sense, I felt better equipped to buy a rug and get a good value than I did after reading other books on the subject, most of which seemed out of date. Lots of color plates too.