Traditional quilts serve many purposes over the course of a useful life. Beginning as a beautiful bed covering; a quilt may later function as a ground cover at picnics until years of wear relegate it to someones ragbag for scrap uses.Observing this life cycle led authors John Forrest and Deborah Blincoe to the idea that quilts; like living things; have a natural history that can be studied scientifically. They explore that natural history through an examination of the taxonomy; morphology; behavior; and ecology of quilts in their native environmentmdash;the homes of humans who make; use; keep; and bestow them.The taxonomy proposed by Forrest and Blincoe is rooted in the mechanics of replicating quilts so that it can be used to understand evolutionary and genetic relationships between quilt types. The morphology section anatomizes normal and abnormal physical features of quilts; while the section on conception and birth in the life cycle discusses how the underlying processes of replication intersect with environmental factors to produce tangible objects.This methodology is applicable to many kinds of crafts and will be of wide interest to students of folklore; anthropology; and art history. Case studies of traditional quilts and their makers in the Catskills and Appalachia add a warm; human dimension to the book.
#3156284 in eBooks 2014-03-17 2014-03-17File Name: B00J2DD6KW
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Oscar Wildes think pieces Limited 21st century audienceBy PhredOne .of the nice things about being a Kindle owner is the ability to add unlikely pieces by well-known writers for little or no money. In this case we are offered Essays and Lectures by Oscar Wilde. Listing; as of review date: free. If youre an Oscar Wilde fan this is a great way to take possession of items not usually thought about when building an Oscar Wilde collection.There are seven selections in this book amounting to about 200 pages of reading. Oscar Wilde topics include the history of historical criticism; the pre-Raphaelite movement; several different perspectives on art especially decorative art; a curious piece on the then new institution of artists models and finally three or four so-called "poems in prose". If you are used to the witticisms and clever wordplay of Lady Windermeres Fan or The Importance of Being Earnest; you may find these readings rather dry. For me the poems in prose were somewhat fun. I found it best to not read the essays to intensely.This is not a very long book. Its proper audience is fans of Oscar Wilde willing to see him in a different light. His essay and lectures style is very much the essay and lectures style of his time. It is not so much about documenting opinion as; dramatizing it. Oscar Wilde is an intelligent and thoughtful man but given to too many generalities and universal statements. "All art..." or "all artists..." and so forth without any thought that there might be another opinion or another possibility.Technical note: This e editin includes about 22 footnotes. The system for clicking on the number to read the footnote was not operational.Bottom line Oscar Wilde Essays and Lectures is worth what I paid. Oscar Wilde fans may appreciate Oscar Wilde the lecturer; and would be essayists can benefit from studying intelligent period writing.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Robert F.as expected.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Wilde never fails to deliverBy KentThe lectures and writings in this book offer many insights about life and art. Like William Morris; Wilde is dedicated to the notion that all people need beauty in their lives; whether it be by creation or possession of things that display the joy and care of the work itself.
