The Encyclopedia of Antique Carpets: Twenty-Five Centuries of Weaving Hardcover – December 15, 2015

Must have, even though it is only antiques and so a little less helpful for the average collector. Although some text is boilerplate/cut and paste, that's ok---lends a certain quick consistency. Lots of detailed information, including auction prices and market valuations. Wonderful resource. Be aware that many plates (all in color) are small, but this is an encyclopedia, and the examples are from many collections, auctions, and museums. Includes very helpful appendices and maps.

What a lovely set of books these are. The photos are great, and the explanations, while not completely thorough, are useful in getting a historical look at a fascinating combination of artistry and industry. I recommend this collection.

Got it at a great deal. This is essential for a carpet collector or lover. Provides lots of pics and information. It's a useful resource if you buy or sell antique carpets. The books are very sturdy and much bigger and heavier than I thought they would be. Overall, I'm very pleased.

As its title makes clear, this weighty, two-volume, slip cased set of books is meant for antique carpet enthusiasts. Its entries are primarily on pile rugs and flat weaves from the mid-East but also on rugs from Europe and America. The entries are compact and properly focused on examples produced up to the early 20th century yet occasionally close by mentioning tidbits of useful information on developments or changes in later production of the rug type under discussion. The quality of the over 1000 color illustrations is good and these are made more useful by the excellent factual information beneath them. When later outdated, the monetary values given for many of the examples illustrated will stand as a record of carpet values in the early 21st century. Given its ambitious scope, the encyclopedia is necessarily limited in the depth of its entries. Overall, its introduction, maps, entries and seven appendices (including such things as color illustrations of master weavers' signatures) are an addition to rug literature for those in the trade and for those able to own or admire antique carpets like the examples illustrated but who are not herein seeking the scholar's specialized knowledge of structural or design elements in studies of limited types of carpets. I am pleased I have added it to my library of books on carpets.

Amazing read, truly phenomenal information on rug history and a great addition to anyone in the trade or art lovers who will be fascinated by the designs and how art has progressed through time and place. I enjoyed it immensely.

A bargain with excellent color photos. Gives pricing informations up to 2015. Some of the text is superfluous such as describing the location in the world of China. Still informative and a must own for those of us who are collectors of oriental carpets.

The glossary with examples of motifs that appear in rugs -- essentially to understanding the subject matter of the text -- appears (misplaced, I would say) at the end of volume 2. The glossary should appear at the beginning of volume 1. Also, there should be examples of rugs with lines drawn to areas indicating for example "Shah Abbas," especially because there are variations on the motifs. The author will describe the types of motifs popularly used in a region, and then show an example of a rug produced in that region, but for a beginner reading this, it can be difficult to discern if for example the example carpet shows an arabesque motif (if it was common for the area). Also, there is a lot of "cut and paste" type phrasing, e.g. "...world market demand" at the end of many sections based on regional designations. Also, the descriptors seem quite technical; since beauty is a qualitative experience, it is interesting that subjective descriptors such as "beautiful," "stunning," etc., don't really make up any part of the descriptions of the rugs shown. The history related to the times is awesome, and perhaps the strongest part of the book, but in light of the above criticisms, as well as the expensive price tag of the book, I feel that the book could have been better.

Perfect