Official Price Guide to Oriental Rugs, 2nd edition (The Official Price Guide) [Paperback]

Joyce C. Ware (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Official Price Guide | Publication Date: October 22, 1996

"No other book packs all the need-to-know basics of oriental rugs into such an economical package. Its an indispensable resource and the best buy of all rug books."
--Mark Hopkins, President
New Boston Rug Society
For the connoisseur or the once-in-a-lifetime buyer, this unique sourcebook is your personal adviser to the lush world of oriental rugs. From the 1500s to the present day, in countries from North Africa to China, Turkey to the former Soviet Union, The Official Price Guide to Oriental Rugs covers it all--including a fascinating historical overview to this exciting area of collecting.
* COMPREHENSIVE. This invaluable guide covers every class of the most collectible oriental rugs of the world, from classical carpets and tribal weavings to rustic rugs and flat weaves.
* PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. Vital information on how to clean and care for your oriental rug (including spot and stain removal) is included, as well as helpful hints on safe storage and various ways to display your collection.
* WRITTEN BY AN EXPERT. Joyce Ware is a distinguished member of the New York and Connecticut rug societies. She has written for Rug News, Oriental Rug Review, and Fiberarts magazine.
* SPECIAL SECTION. An essential resource featuring names of major auction houses and membership societies, including dealer recommendations and carpet restorers and conservators.
* GLOSSARY. An important dictionary to all the key terms and phrases for the rug collector, from Beating Up to Yarn Ply and Twist.
* FULLY ILLUSTRATED. Packed throughout with photographs for easy identification, including a lavish eight-page color insert.
"The beginning rug collector could not do better than to get and read this book. It contains much good information, some timeless, some of current immediacy, all of it valuable. I believe everyone, newcomer and connoisseur alike, will learn from it."
--Dr. John Sommer, President
San Francisco Bay Area Rug Society

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"No other book packs all the need-to-know basics of oriental rugs into such an economical package. Its an indispensable resource and the best buy of all rug books."
--Mark Hopkins, President
New Boston Rug Society
For the connoisseur or the once-in-a-lifetime buyer, this unique sourcebook is your personal adviser to the lush world of oriental rugs. From the 1500s to the present day, in countries from North Africa to China, Turkey to the former Soviet Union, The Official Price Guide to Oriental Rugs covers it all--including a fascinating historical overview to this exciting area of collecting.
* COMPREHENSIVE. This invaluable guide covers every class of the most collectible oriental rugs of the world, from classical carpets and tribal weavings to rustic rugs and flat weaves.
* PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. Vital information on how to clean and care for your oriental rug (including spot and stain removal) is included, as well as helpful hints on safe storage and various ways to display your collection.
* WRITTEN BY AN EXPERT. Joyce Ware is a distinguished member of the New York and Connecticut rug societies. She has written for Rug News, Oriental Rug Review, and Fiberarts magazine.
* SPECIAL SECTION. An essential resource featuring names of major auction houses and membership societies, including dealer recommendations and carpet restorers and conservators.
* GLOSSARY. An important dictionary to all the key terms and phrases for the rug collector, from Beating Up to Yarn Ply and Twist.
* FULLY ILLUSTRATED. Packed throughout with photographs for easy identification, including a lavish eight-page color insert.
"The beginning rug collector could not do better than to get and read this book. It contains much good information, some timeless, some of current immediacy, all of it valuable. I believe everyone, newcomer and connoisseur alike, will learn from it."
--Dr. John Sommer, President
San Francisco Bay Area Rug Society

Product Details

• Paperback: 319 pages
• Publisher: House of Collectibles; 2 edition (October 22, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0676600239
• ISBN-13: 978-0676600230
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,074,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hello! My name is Joyce Ware aka Joyce C. Ware.

I just published my first Middle Grades novel as a Kindle eBook. The Dragon Whisperer is a here-and-now story about a boy, a girl and a dragon known as Gwork. The cover is amazing! Take a look at the creepiest little dragon you ever saw, and email me at [e-mail] for the artist's name.

I've been writing for as long as I can remember. The first pieces I had published were articles on travel and camping for a variety of magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times. I made my first foray into book length fiction with, a Gothic novel titled The Lost Heiress of Hawkscliffe. It was accepted by Kensington-Zebra, which published five more of my genre novels, four of which are available as Kindle ebooks by Joyce C. Ware

My interest in oriental rugs inspired me to do research about their care and repair, which I incorporated in a proposal for a book aimed at beginning collectors. To my pleased surprise, this guide, published by Random House, was well received by oriental rug collectors, dealers and scholars and led to contracts for two more updated editions, the last of which was published in 2004.

The publishing business, which has changed enormously in the last ten years, has seen many well-established writers come and go. Writing for commercial publication is an unwise choice for the thin-skinned: the first rejections brought tears, but now I greet them with a shrug and wry smile. Fortunately, the advent of ebooks keeps my fingers tapping and the brain cells percolating. I hope to publish a sequel to The Dragon Whisperer--The Dragon Seekers--in 2012.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A reliable consumer's guide, November 1, 2005

By 

Craig Weatherby (Waltham, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Official Price Guide to Oriental Rugs, 2nd edition (The Official Price Guide) (Paperback)

Ms. Ware is a highly knowledgeable, respected expert in the field. This is a solid reference that does not, as some reviewers suggest, encourage buyers to rely entirely on dealers' self-interested recommendations, nor does it purport to eliminate the need to check on market conditions before buying.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not recommended for the beginner., April 7, 2005

By 

Hallstatt Prince (MA. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Official Price Guide to Oriental Rugs, 2nd edition (The Official Price Guide) (Paperback)

First let me say that as a rug dealer of many years and founder of the Boston Rug Society and having written numerous articles in such journals Hali and Antiquitaten Zeitung there is no way of easily pricing antique oriental rugs and in this way is quite misleading. If one wants to gain insight into the pricing of oriental rugs I recommend a subscription to Hali and Sotheby's catalogues. By all means do not use this book to price oriental rugs. The best way to begin this process if you do have an heirloom you are wondering about is to have a professional appraisal done (auction houses such as Sotheby's and Skinner's will do this free of charge). This book is skimpy in its information and the dealer recommendations at the end of the book reads more like a list of friends of the author than a list of reputable dealers. Some of these people I know and are reputable while other on the list I have found less so in my experience. More so than any other field I have encountered the field of oriental rugs and its dealers is full of alliances and petty feuds. Do not use this book to price oriental rugs or to pick a dealer. There is no one simple "open sesame" to the world of oriental rugs.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Little Reference Guide, June 14, 2009

By 

Nathan K. Koets "Rug Washer" (Grand Rapids, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Official Price Guide to Oriental Rugs, 2nd edition (The Official Price Guide) (Paperback)

Wow. The rug world is unreal, full of spite and petty jealousy.
Is this book the bible on rugs? No. Is it a concise, handy little guide for the novice? Yes. My biggest issue with the book is that over time (and fluctuating market conditions), it's pricing will eventually become outdated, but as long as Ms. Ware revises it every decade or so, who cares?
For the record, my copy of this book shows rug prices that are *gasp* nothing more than actual auction results from Sotheby's, Skinners, etc., so I don't understand the jab by one of the reviewers below? Perhaps this review was done without actually READING the book? Hmmm...
Ms. Ware has written a very enjoyable little book that my rug washing customers like to borrow. All who have done so have enjoyed it very much, most have gone out & purchased their own copy. Compared to some of the rug "encyclopedias", the cost is very low. I'm happy I bought this book, and I think you will like it as well.