Posted by Marvin Amstey on May 09, 1999 at 11:49:07:
Jerry, you are insightful about acquiring books and many feet of shelf space. Half of my books are almost never used after looking at them once. One day I should think about what they have in common; that way I would avoid buying them in the future. Probably the exhibiiton catalogues fit into that category. However, the two books I have used the most probably would not make anyone's 25-best hit parade.
The first is Jacobsen's 1962 "Oriental Rugs: A Complete Guide". This book is written in the fashion of an encyclopedia with thousands of inaccuracies. But as a source for starting this hobby - and with few competitors around at the time - it was invaluable. Probably the best all-around book currently is the Eilands'Complete Guide. But the ease of using Jacobsen's book is still superior. Someone ought to write a modern version in this format.
The second is Walter Hawley's 1970 paperback reprint of the 1913 book (I have the original 1st ed., but that's collectable and not useable). I still believe that it is the best source for concise structural definitions of the major rug types. Granted it doesn't talk about Z and S spins or plies, but the rest is there, and it certainly has helped me with Persian and Turkish rugs of the 19th c.
Of cousre, once specialized I could go on and on, but this is enough - for now. Regards, Marvin