Customer Reviews

Oriental Carpet Design: A Guide to Traditional Motifs, Patterns and Symbols

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has been my "bible" on the subject of oriental rugs for about 5 years. It has been a source of knowledge and great pleasure as I have learnt more and more on this fascinating subject and purchased many rugs in the meantime. It never stays in the bookshelf very long, as I am frequently referring to it as the rug buying "bug" hits me. The book is comprehensively illustrated and has detailed information on subtleties of pattern design, which help in the identification of different rugs, even within a single district. I cannot recommend this book too highly as an attractive and informative book for novice or experienced rug lovers alike. In comparison, I have been a little disappointed with "Oriental Rugs, Vol 2,PERSIA", which I purchased recently (see separate review).

I bought this book after going to the library and checking out a number of carpet books - I was looking for a reference that would teach me some of the history of rug making and the people who make these incredible pieces of art as well as the practical side such as what to look for in a rug. This book is great at teaching about the different types of rugs. There are color pictures on every page, there are drawings of specific patterns so you can see specifically what make a rug one type rather than another, there are uncommon examples of types of rugs shown, etc. Its quite a good book (which is why I bought it after returning the library copy). This book is ok at teaching about the history/people or about how to tell a good quality rug - the intro goes into some good detail about things like knot types, weaves, use of synthetic dyes, chinese rugs etc but it's a fanatsic guide to decoding the different traditional motifs and patterns. I'm giving it 4 stars rather than 5 only because the text is so dry and they don't really give the stories - they give more dry facts such as this type of rug was woven in this manufacturing/village setting in x,y,z town. It would have been niceto have more details about the people and about the symbolism of the motifs. But, like I said, I knew all that before I bought the book since I had checked t out at the library. I use this book to augment others that I ended up buying that do tell more of the stories.

I live in the Middle East and my Afghani carpet dealer recommended this book calling it "the Bible" for any collector. The color pictures and pattern by pattern breakdown help you get a feel for the beauty of this unique art form. My only complaint is that the carpets pictured are all museum quality and not on offer to your average collector! If you are just getting started or if you've been collecting rugs for a while, this book is an essential addition to your reference library.

This book has the best information I've found on distinguing one type of rug from another. Many books give information about the major types of rugs...they're a dime a dozen. Ford breaks everything down into what specific tribes and villages weave, and tells us what the weavers use for warps and wefts, distinguishing colors, area motifs and designs, and more.

This book is definitely academic in nature, but this is exactly the kind of fact-filled information I've been searching for. I had thought I would find it in Peter Stone's works, but even Stone's 2004 book on motifs does not come close to what Ford did twenty years ago. I currently own about 50 books on oriental rugs, and Ford's book offers the most comprehensive, detailed information of any of them.

If you want to move from being a novice to becoming a more knowledgeable buyer and rug lover, you will want this book.

I collect Oriental rugs and Oriental rug books. This book is not for the beginner, but is meant for in-depth study of the subject of Oriental rugs. As you read you are directed to other pages for study and comparison. This is a time consuming but valuable process. If one wants to really study Oriental rugs this book can elevate you from beginner to a person who is comfortable with the subject and able to talk with experts. I used this book as a self teaching text book and loved it.

Bought with 'Oriental Carpets; A Complete Guide'. I like both, they compliment each other. But if had to pick, would take 'Complete Guide'.

This book is indeed an excellent source of information for those who are interested in this fascinating subject and enojy collecting persian rugs. It is extremely well illustrated with some very informative tips on each region, and what to look for when buying a rug. I higly recommend it to those who are interested in traditional designs.

This is an excellent book to find all the information one needs on Persian and Oriental carpets. Very informative, and beautiful colour plates.

This is an outstanding book, certainly one of the best on the subject. Very informative yet easy to understand. Profusely illustrated and very detailed.

The book is a very well written vol d'oiseau over modern oriental rugs and carpets with excellent pictures and timely historical notes. Certainly one of the best works available in the field both to beginners and connoisseurs.