Hasta La Ideas

Practically an encyclopedia, Classic and Modern Fabrics provides a complete guide to the world of textiles with 834 high quality color scans of over 600 fabrics, each accompanied by a brief history and detailed description of its uses.

Authored by textile designer Janet Wilson, this heavy tome seemingly documents every fabric ever created—from the common to the obscure. The alphabetized guide provides valuable insight on frequently used fabrics with an inexhaustible scholasticism, such as the over 25 types of velvet identified and explained down to each minute detail.

The book comes out stateside 1 May 2010 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon or purchased online from publishers Thames & Hudson.