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by: Charles Avery Amsden
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For Collectors of Antique Navajo Weavings -- Originally published in 1934, Amsden is considered the basic foundational text by authors writing on the history of Navajo blankets and rugs. While much new and helpful information has been written on Navajo weaving since then, most of these books used Amsden as original source material for much of their information. Pre-1940 Navajo blankets and rugs are among the most collectible artifacts in both the investment and art worlds today. Most all serious Indian art collectors, Native American Indian museum curators and related authors and academics will have a copy of this seminal work in their libraries. Other recommendations: (1)Photos of antique blankets : "Navajo Textiles" The William Randolph Hearst Collection" by Nancy Blomberg; and (2)"Navajo Weaving Tradition" by Kaufman and Selser is one of the few "in print" books with and overview of the history of Navajo weaving. There is always a need for many more books in this area as so many titles are short run or specialty press issues. (Periodicals: (3) American Indian Art magazine with offices in Scottsdale, AZ publishes a quarterly and often features articles on early weavings.) (Regarding other critiques of this book ; this is much more a book for collectors and investors and those interested in identifying and understanding the history and development of Navajo weavings and is not a "how to" book for those wishing to "learn to weave". Hobbyist shops have plenty of the latter available.)
A book for scholars and truly dedicated weaving enthusiasts -- This is a very technical book on the subject of Navajo weaving, weaving techniques, and Southwest Indian History. It is written in a very formal, and in my opinion, dated style. The language is somewhat obtuse; many more words are used to share information than are required. All photos are black and white, probably because most came from very old, unrestored photos; as such,they are also of poor quality. Most picture captions are described as "plates", a very dated publishing practice. All of the above observations are why I say that it is perhaps most appropriate to a masters or doctoral student on indian or textile history and technique. Since this book was on a recommended reading list on the web I am certain there is valuable information in this book for highly dedicated weaving enthusiasts. For instance, the book may go into detail about plants used for dying wool, even giving illustrations of those plants. For the casual or intermediate weaver, however, I would recommend saving your money. This is the first book I ever sent back to Amazon. I couldn't even think of anyone to give it to. Not even a school teacher I know who loves SW Indian history. That is how dull I found it.
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