The carpets were works of art with a practical use. The repeating designs had a hypnotic effect. I could feel an irrational urge posses them, much like what bibliomaniacs must feel for books.
--Excerpt from Unknown Sands, John Kropf and blatant plug of self-promotion for my only book.
Carpets carry a world history in their weaves. They have a power to tell stories and inspire. I spent two years in the carpet making country of Turkmenistan. With time on my hands, I became fascinated with carpets and their secrets.
1. The Carpet Wars: From Kabul to Baghdad, A Ten-Year Journey Along Ancient Trade Routes, Christopher Kremmer (2002). Part travel memoir, part history, and an adventure story that falls into the middle of the conflict in central Asia. Bought new.
2. The Root of Wild Madder: Chasing The History, Mystery, and Lore of the Persian Carpet, Brian Murphy (2005). Focused on the floral Persian carpets, Murphy compares the art of the Persian carpet to Persian poetry itself. Can't remember where I bought.
3. Oriental Rugs: An Introduction, Gorden Redford Walker (1999). A beautiful, concise guide filled with glossy stock pictures. A gift.
4. Oriental Rugs In Color, Preben Libetrau (1962). Originally written in Danish and translated into English. A slim volume with color plates. Bought at a the State Department book store. Found a membership card inside to the Golden Turban Travel Club, 1970.
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