 My personally biased (and fairly limited) bibliography:
Denny,
Walter
Sotheby's Guide to Oriental Carpets
Fireside Books, New York, 1994 Prof.
Denny is a specialist in Islamic art, and the book is fun and easy to read, as well as
being accurate and informative. |
Eiland,
Emmett
Oriental Rugs Today
Berkeley Hills Books, Berkeley, 2000 An
optimistic (and, it is to be hoped, accurate) look at current production. |
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Eiland,
Murray L., and Murray Eiland III
Oriental Rugs: A Complete Guide
Little, Brown and Co., Boston, 1998This
updated and revised classic will tell you much more than you're capable of remembering
about the subject. Author is well-respected in the area of rug knowledge and
scholarship. |
Thompson,
Jon
Oriental Rugs from the Tents, Cottages, and Workshops of Asia
E.P. Dutton, New York, 1988 Dr.
Thompson is legendary in the field of rug scholarship. He's the only person I know who can
pull a yarn out of a rare antique rug at an exhibition without the owners going ballistic. |
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For the beginner, I strongly recommend Jon Thompson's book, listed above, as an
introduction to the subject. Clear, well-written, with great photographs, it'll provide a
good framework for understanding the world of oriental rugs. Books by Ian Bennett and
James Opie are also very good. If your interest is primarily in decorative rugs, Janice
Summers' Oriental Rugs (New York: Crown Publishers, 1994) may be helpful.
To educate your eye and hand, there's no
substitute for getting your hands on as many rugs as possible. Feel
them, smell them, flip them over with your foot. Develop a relationship with a rug dealer and let him/her
know what interests you. Don't be afraid to ask questions; rug scholarship is both broad
and detailed, and no one knows everything about all types of rugs.
Hali (the Turkish word for
"rug") is the premier publication for the rug world. It's expensive, but worth
it if you're serious about oriental rugs.
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