I generally expect a lot from this publisher. They put out many good books on clothing and fabric, but this one really let me down. It is lavishly illustrated, but almost no thought is given to explaining the history of the techniques or materials or the possible provenance of the pieces.
I wanted to know about the embroidery itself: When did the various techniques show up? How are they done? If you're interested in that sort of information, this book is pretty much worthless.
The author went out of her way to include a lot of images, which i appreciated, but there was also a focus on showing pieces that were highly repetitive and in my mind no where near as high quality as others in the collection. More focus on the more complex and interesting pieces and only including a small selection of the more repetitive and highly simple ones would have made for a much better book.
If you want something pretty to look at or you've got some background in embroidery and can work out how the pieces were done on your own from looking at them, go for it. Otherwise, I'd probably think twice before spending the money on this. Instead look at something like the V&A's book on embellishment in world dress, which has several beautiful examples of Indian garments and a lot more informational content. Nomadic Embroideries: India's Tribal Textile Art
For those of us who are needlework craftspeople, this book will provide tremendous inspiration. It also contains many pieces from which we can craft patterns for our own work. I found more sequin designs than in other books from these regions/tribes, which is a boon. There are also plenty of well-shot photos of mirrored garments to keep shishador fans happy.
Even if you're only a collector or admirer of the field and don't intend to work in it, you will have a good time just looking at the gorgeous works here. This book will make a good addition to your library of both decorative and wearable tribal textile art.'
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