Uncut cloth /

For centuries, people in the West have been fascinated by the beautiful textiles imported from India and Pakistan. Here, the colorful hues, patterns, and embroideries of flat textiles are explored. Ordinary people traditionally wrap these materials around their bodies as turbans, shawls, women's dresses (saris), and waist sashes or hang them as canopies and spreads, uses that are all illustrated here. Askari and Arthur co-curated the exhibit on which this book is based, and Arthur gives a fascinating account of how the mills in Europe actually copied South Asian cloth and exported it back (e.g., "Paisley shawls" were made in Paisley, Scotland). A map of the Indian subcontinent is included but not the iconography or the details of weaving techniques as shown in Linda Lynton's splendid but hard-to-find The Sari: Styles Patterns, History, Techniques (o.p.). Still, this is a well-priced introduction to appreciation of the rich cultures of the regions as evidenced in their textiles. Recommended for both academic and public libraries.ÄTherese Duzinkiewicz Baker, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling Green (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.