| book details |

The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World

By (author) Virginia Postrel

| on special |

normal price: R 368.95

Price: R 331.95

| add to trolley |

| book description |

The story of humanity is the story of textiles-as old as civilization itself. Textiles created empires and powered invention. They established trade routes and drew nations' borders. Since the first thread was spun, fabric has driven technology, business, politics, and culture. In The Fabric of Civilization, Virginia Postrel traces this surprising history, exposing the hidden ways textiles have made our world. The origins of chemistry lie in the coloring and finishing of cloth. The beginning of binary code-and perhaps all of mathematics-is found in weaving. Selective breeding to produce fibers heralded the birth of agriculture. The belt drive came from silk production. So did microbiology. The textile business funded the Italian Renaissance and the Mughal Empire; it left us double-entry bookkeeping and letters of credit, the David and the Taj Mahal. From the Minoans who exported woolen cloth colored with precious purple dye to Egypt, to the Romans who wore wildly expensive Chinese silk, the trade and production of textiles paved the economic and cultural crossroads of the ancient world. As much as spices or gold, the quest for fabrics and dyes drew sailors across strange seas, creating an ever-more connected global economy. Synthesizing groundbreaking research from economics, archaeology, and anthropology, Postrel weaves a rich tapestry of human cultural development.

| product details |

| other options |

Normally shipped | Available from overseas. Usually dispatched in 14 days
Readership Age |

Normal Price | R 529.95
Price | R 476.95 | on special |

| add to trolley |

Normally shipped | Usually dispatched in 3 to 6 weeks as supplier is out of stock
Readership Age |

Normal Price | R 728.95
Price | R 656.95 | on special |

| add to trolley |

| back |

| your trolley |

To view the items in your trolley please sign in.

| sign in |

| specials |

The Thing at 52

Mr. Ross Montgomery
Hardback
40 pages
was: R 382.95
now: R 343.95
Usually dispatched in 3 to 4 weeks as supplier is out of stock

The Thing at 52 is aÂ beautiful picture book about friendship, loneliness and learning how to say goodbye.

| more |

| add to trolley |

Free Your Mind: The new world of manipulation and how to resist it

Laura Dodsworth
Paperback / softback
384 pages
was: R 273.95
now: R 245.95
Usually dispatched in 4-8 weeks

The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller Learn how to recognise and resist the daily attempts to control and manipulate your mind.

| more |

| add to trolley |

The Silent Patient: The record-breaking, multimillion copy Sunday Times bestselling thriller and TikTok sensation

Alex Michaelides
Paperback / softback
352 pages
was: R 254.95
now: R 229.95
Usually dispatched in 4-8 weeks

With film rights snapped up by an Oscar winning Hollywood production company, rights sold in a world record 43 territories, and rave blurbs from David Baldacci, Lee Child and A.

| more |

| add to trolley |