The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World

Virginia Postrel’s The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World deftly showcases the pivotal role textiles played across time and diverse cultures in crafting world economies and revolutionary technologies. Postrel is an independent scholar, authoring two previous books, The Substance of Style (2003) and The Power of Glamour (2013), plus penning columns for Bloomberg Opinion, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. In The Fabric of Civilization, Postrel blends findings from groundbreaking scientific research to chronicle textiles’ profound, yet taken-for-granted history. The book has seven chapters, plus a preface, afterword, and sections for acknowledgements, glossary, notes, and index. The chapters begin with production (chapters 1–4: fiber, thread, cloth, dye), move to trade (chapters 5–6: traders, consumers), and conclude with research (chapter 7: innovators). The preface sets the tone for the book, highlighting the sustained impact textiles played throughout human history, laying out the main argument, and orienting the reader towards chapter topics. The