Having just taken up spinning I found this book fascinating. It gives a great background in to the ancient history of spinning and weaving.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Spinning and Weaving is an excellent edition for the crafter's library. Part history lesson focusing on the UK, part reflection onwomen's personal experience in weaving and handicrafts.

Enjoyable read. 4 out of 5 stars.

Such an interesting trip through not only the history of spinning and weaving, but also through the minds of many modern day spinners and weavers (there’s a chapter of artisan interviews that is awesome. A great gift for someone who likes to know how techniques and trends developed.

This book looked at spinning and weaving throughout history and as a modern handcraft. The author started by explaining what type of tools were used for spinning and weaving in ancient times and what fibers were used for clothing. She then talked about the new technologies that changed how spinning and weaving were done up until modern day. The second half of the book contained interviews with modern weavers who talk about how they got into traditional weaving, what they make, what tools they use, how they learned the skills, their advice to others, what their business is like, and a typical day. At the back of the book, there were lists of suppliers and educational websites. I'd recommend this book to someone interested in trying out weaving who wants some background on the possibilities for learning and using the skill.

Spinning and Weaving is a new nonfiction historical survey of spinning and weaving in the British Isles by Lynn Huggins-Cooper. Due out 19th Dec 2019 from Pen & Sword, it's 128 pages and will be available in paperback format. The first chapters (~45% of the content) cover textile history from the prehistoric to the modern day. With such a massive timeline, the coverage is brief for each time period, but provides a lot of tantalizing glimpses to follow up later.

The following chapter (~42% of the content) has interviews with several different individual artisans and collectives. The format provides the same questions to each interviewee and it's interesting to see how they came to their craft from often disparate origins but their enthusiasm and respect is shared by them all.

The photography is black and white, but is clear and illustrative. There are no tutorials, but there are a wealth of links provided (slanted toward readers in the UK). There is also a solid bibliography and links section to stockists and teachers. This would make a superlative library selection for a guild or shop, as well as for the fibre-artist's home library.

This is a good, accessible, clearly written introduction to spinning and weaving.

Four stars.

The review copy kindle version I received of this book was very heavy on text which made it a bit of a trudge to read through, but as a spinner and weaver I found the content interesting. I think the title should specify that it is primarily about the "history" of spinning and weaving, which wasn't obvious from the lovely cover. I definitely agree with supporting these heritage crafts and ancient skills.
I received a free digital copy from NetGalley but the opinions expressed are my own.

As a knitter and history major, I found this book fascinating. The first half of the book gives a quick and interesting view of the British textile industry. As an American, this covered a lot of history I didn't know but found quite interesting. This book champions the cause of supporting "heritage crafts," and the history lessons support this cause by showing how textile production drove a number of social and cultural trends throughout British history.

The second half of the book features the personal, firsthand stories of women who have taken up the heritage crafts of wool production, spinning, and weaving. The pictures of life in rural Britain wonderfully show how different this life is from American suburbia. This book made me want to visit the UK soon!