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The Rio Grande Press, Inc., Chicago [Published date: 1964]. Hardcover, xviii, 261 pp; illustrated with black-and-white photographs, diagrams, and reproductions of over 100 historic blankets; includes some color plates and one large fold-out color plate ; 24 cm. First printing of 1964 reprint edition of the original 1934 publication issued by The Fine Arts Press, Santa Ana, in cooperation with the Southwest Museum.
In very good condition / no dust jacket. Bright red cloth boards with gilt stamped title and author on front cover and spine; slight rubbing to spine ends and corners. Binding tight; pages clean and unmarked. NOT Ex-Library. Charles Avery Amsden's Navaho Weaving: Its Technic and Its History remains a foundational monograph on Navajo textile tradition, combining anthropological study, archaeological insight, and technical instruction. First published in 1934 and reissued in this 1964 edition, it features a foreword by Frederick Webb Hodge and a dedication to Washington Matthews, the pioneering ethnologist and U.S. Army surgeon. Amsden's work is distinguished by its dual structure: the first part is a detailed breakdown of weaving techniques, loom development, and dye preparation; the second is a chronological cultural history from early sheep introduction to the revival of rug-making in the twentieth century. Illustrated throughout with historic photographs and over 100 textile examples drawn from public and private collections. Contents include: Part I - The Technic of Navaho Weaving: Finger Weaving; Loom Development in America; The Navaho Loom; Weaves of the Navaho; Native Dyes: Development; Native Dyes: Methods and Formulas; Types and Uses of Navaho Textiles ; Part II - The History of Navaho Weaving: The First Sheep; Early Navaho Weaving; Bayeta, 1800-1863; Taming the Navaho, 1863-1868; Blanket to Rug: The Transition Period, 1870-1890; The Rug Business, 1890-1932; The Growth of Design, 1800-1920; The Revival, 1920 to Present