Amazon.com: The Quilt: A History and Celebration of an American Art Form: Elise Schebler Roberts, Jennifer Chiaverini, Sandra Dallas, Helen Kelley, Jean Ray Laury, Ami Simms, Patricia Cox, Alex Anderson: Books

Review

BlackThread.blogspot.com, Oct. 15, 2007 (blog readers unavailable)

“It’s magnificent!”

Quilter's Newsletter, April 2008
"Investigate the evolution of quilting in America with one of the most comprehensive histories ever published. The book moves from the discussion of the historical nature of quilts to current efforts at quilt preservation. Features include more than 200 full-color photographs and an encyclopedia of quilt styles, from applique to crazy, pieced to art, scrappy to whole cloth. Essays by Jean Ray Laury, Patricia Cox and Alex Anderson, to name a few, highlight the complexity and beauty of America's quilting tradition."

Clinton Courier, Nov. 7, 2007

“Two new non-fiction books you might want to preview could make a good holiday gift are: The Quilt: A History and Celebration of an American Art Form.”

Product Description

The story of the American quilt is the story of America itself, stitching together the history, hopes, and heartaches of a nation. From colonial to pioneer quilts, Civil War to Victorian crazy quilts, Depression-era quilts to quilts of the present day, this American craft speaks volumes about the changing world around us and the lives of the quilt makers who have pieced it together.

The largest, most comprehensive history of American quilts ever published, The Quilt explores the evolution of quilting in America. It shows, in vivid colors and patterns, how African American, Amish, Hawaiian, Hmong, and Native American quilts celebrate cultural identity, and how quilts connect us to one another through quilting bees and other community groups.

Author Elise Schebler Roberts also goes beyond the historical nature of quilts to cover current efforts at quilt preservation, with discussions of museums, collecting and appraising, and state documentation projects. Her book features an encyclopedia of favorite quilt styles, detailing the stories behind applique quilts, crazy quilts, art quilts, scrap quilts, sampler quilts, and whole-cloth quilts, as well as traditional patchwork patterns like the Nine Patch, Log Cabin, and Double Wedding Ring. The Quilt is gloriously illustrated with more than 200 full-color photographs of classic collectible quilts, close-up detail shots, current and historical photos of quilters, and vintage quilting memorabilia such as pattern booklets, advertisements, posters, postcards, and more.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 348 pages
Publisher: Voyageur Press; 1st edition (October 15, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0760326886
ISBN-13: 978-0760326886
Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 10.8 x 1.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #96,415 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
nine patch, double wedding ring, air show, documented quilts, quilting revival, kit quilts, whole cloth quilts, quilt revival, quilt research, quilting history, quilt collectors, quilting community, quilted clothing, signature quilts, quilt historians, art quilters, quilt museum, new quilters, quilt history, entire quilt top, quilt style, quilting activities, quilt festival, quilt guild, quilted armor

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Civil War, New York, International Quilt Study Center, World War, Big Fork, Shelley Emslie, Unknown Size, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Mary Barton Collection, Montana Size, North Carolina, New Jersey, Barbara Brackman, Illinois Size, Quilt National, African Americans, Lone Star, Pennsylvania Size, Sunbonnet Sue, Baltimore Album, Library of Congress, Underground Railroad, Stella Rubin Antiques, West Virginia

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	73% buy the item featured on this page: The Quilt: A History and Celebration of an American Art Form 4.2 out of 5 stars (9) $31.50
	15% buy The American Quilt: A History of Cloth and Comfort 1750-1950 4.9 out of 5 stars (10) $21.90
	5% buy American Quilts & Coverlets in the Metropolitan Museum of Art 4.0 out of 5 stars (3)
	4% buy Texas Quilts and Quilters: A Lone Star Legacy (Grover E. Murrray Studies in the American Southwest) 5.0 out of 5 stars (4) $29.16

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm really enjoying this book., October 24, 2007

By	Annette D "Annette D" (New Mexico) - See all my reviews

Just got the book yesterday, and sat with it in my lap all evening. It's big - coffee table size - and heavy. The pages are thick, and it just feels good to turn them. The pictures and text are wonderful, the font is clear and easy to read. In particular, the organization of the book doesn't try to be all-inclusive. It organizes the information and stories along the reasons that people quilt. Many of the pictured quilts have a story about the maker. You can read a few pages and move on. I won't get tired of this any time soon.

The bibliography, web links and quilting organization directory in the back of the book is rich and diverse. It's a great starting place for just about any online searching you'd want to do.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Big, Beautiful, and Fascinating, November 1, 2007

By	Erica Shauffen - See all my reviews

I just got my copy of this book and am really enjoying it. It's larger than I thought it would be and very easy on the eyes. It's full of quilt photos and interesting stories. I like that it shows a lot of quilts I haven't seen before. I'm tired of quilt books that just recycle the same quilt pictures I've seen in other books.

But what I really like are the stories. I just get drawn into who made these quilts and why. Where did the blocks come from, how did they get around the country? There are quilt photos from all over America and stories about the blocks, fabrics, and quilters who made them. It's not perfect (I found a typo), but I am having a ball reading it. I especially like the way it handles a couple of controversial quilt topics like the Underground Railroad quilts and "swastika" quilts. I've read other quilt history books, but this one takes a different slant.

I thought this would be a coffee-table book that I would flip through once in a while, but I'm actually reading it. I've even bookmarked a couple stories for my next quilt guild meeting.

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33 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars over priced, over hyped, October 26, 2007

By	E Rice (western ny state) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

this book bills itself as 'the most comprehensive history of american quilts ever published.'

hardly. although it does a better job of covering the 1920s-1950s than most quilt books, other eras are not all that well done. and there are several quilts that are beautiful, unusual, and inspiring that i have not seen in other books.

the back cover boasts that there are more than 200 color photos quilts. there may be, but there are sections of this 330+ page book where page and page after page after page is completely free of any photo or illustration, never mind quilt photos. ordinary quilts are given full page space, while several impressive quilts have less than half a page. _the american quilt_, by roderick kiracofe, has a third fewer pages and claims 250 photos of quilts. it's also much better written. and that's only one example of other, better, books that address quilt history.

a history should be chronological. this is not. a history should be accurate--there are glaring mistakes and unbelievable statements (marie antoinette is 'infamous.' what?? notorious, yes, libelled and slandered, provably--but 'infamous'? she wasn't eva braun. oh, and why is she mentioned?) nearly an entire page is devoted to mary, queen of scots, and an example of her needlework is included. why? it has absolutely nothing to do with quilts. one caption states that quilters in early- to mid-20th century america had to rely on mail order for their fabric. is the author totally ignorant? until the decline of home sewing, about the mid-70s, many department stores had yardage counters, there were shops devoted to yard goods, dry goods stores carried bolts of fabric. shops specializing in quilting alone may be a recent phenomenon, but fabric stores have existed for more than a century. (1/4/08: i was skimming through this book again, and, by chance, read in the text more accurate information about fabric availability--the text was not near the caption that annoyed me. sloppy production, but probably not the author's fault.)

the text seems to be aimed at the junior high school level. the grammar is appalling. to correct one caption: a word does not derive from something. a word is derived from something. just because the advertising profession thinks the passive voice is not exciting enough to manipulate consumers is no reason to degrade the language.

space is wasted in essays of varying degree of interest. one person's viewpoint of events can be interesting, but not necessarily accurate.

still, in all this dross there are a few items of interest. the stories of past quilters are moving, some even heartbreaking. the photos of people are interesting (the share croppers [sic] who put on their silk stockings for the photographer [nylon wasn't yet used then]).

do i like it? no, it makes me angry that such a little is priced at such a lot. am i going to return it? after several days' consideration, i decided to keep it--because i think it would be unethical to photocopy the quilts i like and then return the book.

do i recommned it? only to quilters who are already familiar with the better histories of quilts and quilting. and then i'd suggest waiting until they can buy it used.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Pass for the price
I read this review before deciding not to get the book, but then got it as a gift. After reading 3/4 of it, I am bored with its stories and simplistic history. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Erica

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun and fascinating book on quilts
I purchased this for a gift for a friend, but had to look through it when it arrived. It has beautiful photos of a wide variety of American quilts along with stories to accompany... Read more

Published 5 months ago by A. Colliflower

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Coffee Table book
This huge book had much less photos than other books. I would have prefered to see more quilts portrayed. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Jacinta

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book
I truly love this book, it's so informative and presents it's self beautifully as a coffee table book. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Joan Canfield

5.0 out of 5 stars SUE'S GIFT
this book was for a friend who is an avid quilter and owns a library of quilting book. She was very please to receive A HISTORY AND CELEBRATION OF AN AMERICAN ART FORM. Read more

Published 9 months ago by B. Pruett

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, and I don't even quilt
I am not a quilter, but my mother is, so I bought this book as a present for her. But I'm reading it before I give it to her, and find it really interesting! Read more

Published 20 months ago by John Yaroch

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