This highly readable cultural reference describes one of Norway’s most beautiful and enduring folkcraft traditions, including its role in revealing women’s history.

 

This highly readable cultural reference describes one of Norway’s most beautiful and enduring folkcraft traditions, including its role in revealing women’s history.

“Attractive . . . a carefully constructed book that provides the fullest presentation of this topic to be published in English.”
—Library Journal on the 1st edition

Winner of Textile Society of America’s R. L. Shep Memorial Book Award for best book in the field of global cultural heritage textile studies.

Weaving was a part of homelife for Norwegian women from before Viking times until the twentieth century, and Norway has preserved more of this woven heritage than anywhere else in Europe. The story of Norway’s coverlets, woven for both warmth and special ceremonies, comes to life with 300+ photos showing these decorative textiles in beautiful detail, allowing the study of styles and patterns.

Alongside the book’s engaging visual history, these weavings tell of the central role textiles played in our ancestors’ lives, especially our multi-great-grandmothers, whether they happened to be Norwegian or not.

The new edition differs from the first edition, which has been out of print for over 20 years, in these ways: 

• New Introduction by the author reflects on this textile tradition’s historic importance and notes research developments during the past 25 years.

• New Foreword by the chief curator at Vesterheim Museum, the top center for Norwegian culture in the US.

• Reflects today’s improved image technology, with 18 additional images and top-quality new photos throughout.

• Color images replace the original edition’s black-and-white where possible. 

• New appendix of museum accession numbers allows readers to access most of these textiles in museums’ online databases.