Oriental Rug Books Authors Beginning with X Buy oriental carpets 100% handmade area carpet and rugs from Tibet. Modern and traditional design. Armenian too! www.TufenkianCarpets.com Can't afford Tufenkian Carpets? Visit the ONLY official Tufenkian carpet outlet. Discontinued and one of kind rugs. www.TufenkianOutlet.com Need a custom area rug? If you can dream it, we can weave it. Custom area rugs by Tufenkian

If I lost it I would not replace it.

Of some use but not one I would go out of my way to find.

Useful.

Very useful and one I would recommend strongly.

A very important or even the definitive work on the subject. It does not have to be perfect but if I give it 5 stars and you are interested in that area then you should own a copy.

Not Yet Rated - I haven't gotten to it yet so if you wish to review it please feel free. There is a limit to how many books I can read so it it is not rated do not assume anything is wrong with the book. If you disagree with any of my opinions write me and I may annotate this list with your comments.

Wade, N. Victoria: The Basic Stitches of Embroidery ; London: 1966. 7 x 10, V & A Museum., 58 b/w.

Wagner, Dietrich. Textil Kunst der Steppen und Bergvolker Zentralasiens ; Basel: 1974.

Wagstaff, J. M. The Evolution of Middle Eastern Landscapes. Totowa NJ: Barnes and Noble Books, 1985.

A very solid look at the Middle East in a historical and economic light. Perhaps a little esoteric in most rug studies but I found the back ground useful.

Walker, Daniel. Flowers Underfoot. New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997

If you have the slightest interest in Mughal Carpets buy this book. I do not agree with everything Walker suggests but the book is so important that my minor differences are of little consequence. The pictures are superb, Walker's research and facts are first rate. My differences generally come from differences in conclusions.

Walker, Daniel Oriental Rugs of the Hajji Babas New York Asia Society/Abrams 1982

Walker, D.S. Oriental Rugs In Cincinnati Collections. 1976.

Walker, D.S. Turkish Rugs. 1988, Bull. St. Louis Art Museum.

Walmer, Max. An Illustrated Guide To Modern Elite Forces. New York: Arco Books. 1984.

A useful small format book of recognition training. Unfortunate British slant which skews the information slightly.

Walravens, Hartmut: Ein blaues Wunder Blaudruck in Europa und Japan ; Berlin: 1993. 8 x 10, 77 CP 66 b/w.

Wang, David Te-Chun. Antique Chinese Carpets ; (Hong Kong): (1990).

Ward. Geoffrey C. The Maharajas. Chicago: Stonehenge, 1983.

A nice book. It was a little late for Mughals but the book helps build the background information for my work. The picture of the tiger eating the Englishman is priceless. No rugs however, strictly background material.

Ware, J.C. OFFICIAL PRICE GUIDE TO ORIENTAL RUGS. 1996, 2nd ed.,

This is a nice beginner book with prices that get out of date all too quickly.

Ware, Joyce C. The Official Price Guide: Oriental Rugs ; NY: 1992.

Warner, C.D. IN THE LEVANT. VOL 1. Houghton Mifflin, 1892 rev. ed of 1876 ed.,

Warning & Gillow Ltd. Carpets of Quality ; London: 1920.

Watson William. The Genius Of China. London UK: Times Newspaper LTD, 1973

Excellent catalogue of a major exhibit of Chinese Art and Archeological treasures at the Royal Academy in London UK in 1973. Good photography and some very important pieces. Outside of the fact it is not all in color it does not seem dated at all. There is a very similar catalogue with the same plates and exhibits from the US part of the tour that is not nearly as well done. See "The Chinese Exhibition" above.

Watt, J.C.Y. & Wardwell, A.E. When Silk Was Gold. Central Asian and Chinese Textiles.

Weeks, J. G., & Treganowan, D. RUGS AND CARPETS OF EUROPE AND THE WESTERN WORLD. 1969,

Weibel, A.C. 2000 YEARS OF TAPESTRY WEAVING. 1952,

Weigle, Palmy ed.: Nature Plant Dying, A Handbook ; NY: 1973. 6 x 9 Paperback, Special printing of Plants and Gardens. Volume 29 Number 2., 4 CP, 48 b/w.

Weiner, A. B. & J. Schneider, ed. CLOTH AND THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE. 1989,

Weir, Shelagh. The Bedouin. London (UK), World of Islam Festival Publishing Company Ltd. 1976. 7.5 x 10 Paperback, Aspects of the material culture of the Bedouin of Jordan. 5 CP 53 b/w on textiles. Some jewelry. 12 CP 80 b/w.

A solid look at the Bedouin with lots of weaving. Especially interesting since we usually do not include these people as weavers. This is long out of print and worth reading if you can find one. In these days since the fall of the Empire the World of Islam Festival publications represent one of the high points of "British" culture. There is so little available on the Bedouin that this is still one of the very important books in the field. Picture color and quality is at a standard one might consider average for 1976. text is minimal.

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Welch, Stuart Cary A Flower From every Meadow, Indian Paintings from American Collections. New York: The Asia Society, Inc. 1973.

A mixture of some very good pieces with some that to my eye did not look up to par. On the whole a nice book. Welch is one of the very best in the field and his scholarship holds this work together.

Welch, Stuart Cary,  A King's Book of Kings. The Shah-Nameh of Shah Tahmasp. Greenwich New York Graphic Society, Metropolitan Museum of Art.. 1972.

This is one of the great books on Islamic artist combines brilliant analysis with pictures from the Shah-Nameh. The Houghton Shahnameh.by Welch and Dickson is so expensive that this is next best if you are interested in the art. But you can not just consider this a simplified version of The Houghton Shahnameh. Welch spend a lot of time exploring the fusion of Turkoman art and Timurid art. Today we take it for granted that Safavid art is a fusion of Tabriz Turkoman and Herati Timurid but that was a result of this body of work.  Perhaps Welch's great triumph is in his discernment of that which is from Tabriz and that which is from Herat. His portrayal of Tahmasp Safavi as a torn and twisted man and how that changed the art form is inspiring.

Welch, Stuart Cary, Schimmel, Annemarie, Anvari's Divan: A Pocket Book for Akbar. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art 1983.

Welch, Stuart Cary. and Welch, Anthony Arts of the Islamic Book. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 1982.

A well done catalogue of the collection of Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan. A glimpse of one of the truly great private collections of Islamic miniatures in the world. Many black and white pictures and the collection deserves far more pictures and greater depth then this book allows. It seems to me that someone perhaps Sheila Canby is producing a similar book on the same material and it will then be interesting to compare. THE ARTS OF THE ISLAMIC BOOK: THE COLLECTION OF PRINCE SADRUDDIN AGA KHAN

Welch, Stuart Cary,  The Art of Mughal India New York:1964

Welch , Stuart Cary, Das Buch der Könige . Das Schahname des Schah Tahmasp . Miniaturen im Besitz des Metropolitan Museum in New York Munich , Prestel-Verlag , 1976 ,

Welch, Stuart Cary,  The Emperors' Album : Images of Mughal India New York: Harry N Abrams.1987

Welch, Stuart Cary,  Rossi, Barbara, Craven, Roy C., From the Ocean of Painting : India's Popular Paintings 1589 to the Present. Ames: University of Iowa 1997.

Welch, Stuart Cary,  and Beach, Milo Cleveland. Gods, Thrones, and Peacocks Northern Indian Painting from Two Traditions: Fifteenth to Nineteenth Centuries New York. Asia House Gallery. The Asia Society 1965

Welch, Stuart Cary, Gods Thrones and Peacocks Ayer Co Pub 1979

Welch, Stuart Cary, Indian drawings and painted sketches, 16th through 19th centuries : [catalogue] New York, Asia Society in association with John Weatherhill, Inc. 1976.

Welch , S.C. Persische Buchmalerei aus fünf königlichen Handschriften des sechzehnten Jahrhundert München , Prestel , 1978.

Welch, Stuart Cary, Dickson M.B.  The Houghton Shahnameh. Cambridge , Harvard University Press , 1981.

The single most important work on Islamic art of the sixteenth century.

Welch, Stuart Cary,  Imperial Mughal Painting, New York:1978.

Welch, Stuart Cary, India: art and culture 1300-1900.  Munich:Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997

Welch, Stuart Cary, The Islamic World New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art 1987

Welch, Stuart Cary,  Indische Buchmalerei unter den Gro moguln 16. - 19. Jahrhundert. München, 1978.

Welch, Stuart Cary,  1980 Magic Kingdom Engagement Calender, Metropolitan Museum of Art .1980

Welch, Stuart Cary,  Peinture Impériale Moghole. New York, 1978. Welch, Stuart Cary. Room for wonder: Indian painting during the British period 1760-1880 NY: Amer. Federatn of Arts, 1978

Welch, Stuart Cary. Persian Painting Five Royal Manuscripts of the Sixteenth Century. New York: George Braziller. 1976.

Great pictures, excellent material, Welch at his best. The only weakness is that it is a touch light on some of the detail that Welch must have figured was above his popular audience.

Welch, Stuart Carey, et al. TRESORS DE L'ISLAM. Geneva, Musee d'Art et d'Histoire, 1985.

Welch, Stuart Cary Wonders of the Age. Cambridge: Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University. 1979.

Welch is brilliant in this book. The text is first rate and the pictures are wonderful. Welch picked the best of Tabriz and the best of Khorasan for this book. This book stands up extremely well even though it is almost 20 years old

Weltkunst. Issue 56 year, No 16, 15 August 1986.

Wertime, J. Sumak Bags of Northeast Persia and Transcaucasia. 1998,

This is a must have book for those interested in Northwest Persian and Caucasian Sumac Bags. It is not inexpensive but it is the most affordable and most comprehensive book in the field. I found it an easy to use guide in attributing sumac bags. John Wertime is a serious studious hardworking man who has pored years into the task of understanding Persian and Caucasian weaving. Wertime's real specialty seems to be in Flatweaves. John got off to a running start in his effort when years ago as a member of the Teheran Rug Society he learned Persian Flatweaves with some of the great experts in the field. John started a long association with the great Persian sculptor Parviz Tanavoli as well as working with Jenny Housego. Wertime even co-wrote "Shahsavan" with fellow Teheran Rug Society member and Italian diplomat Ambassador Amedao DeFranchis. Wertime has now given us a wonderful book that is very much specialist literature in the field of flatweaves. He has narrowed his focus very specifically to a type of Sumac bag. Sumak Bags: Of Northwest Persia and Transcaucasia John T. Wertime ISBN: 1856691071 Publisher: Antique Collector's Club Pub. Date: April 1998 When John Wertime narrows his focus to what he knows best he is an incredible talent. In Sumak Bags he has done just that. By first taking a narrow focus he then refines it further by addressing the pieces by region and by area. He gives us a very easy to step through attribution guide to a very exciting group of pieces. First of all the pieces pictured are wonderful. Many of them are familiar. Plate 42 is "From Bosporus to Samarkand" pl. 40. It is a Persian bag panel from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Keshishian. Having seen it in person at the Textile Museum it is a wonderful piece and is perhaps the oldest piece in the book. Pl. 71 is familiar as well. It is a wonderful Moghan Savalan bag face owned by Hali Editor and internationally known rug collector Wendel Swann and his lovely wife Diane. Of course some consider Swann’s pl. 55 (formerly Pickering Collection "Bosporus" pl. 45) more important or the Swann’s pl. 75 prettier but I think 71 is a real gem. Prominent collectors Bob and Nancy Nooter have a number of pieces in the book, take a special look at pl. 121. There are too many to mention each exceptional piece but it is a grand selection of best of type examples with outstanding color pictures. Why would you as a reader wish to part with your hard-earned money for this book? I have seen many people with both good and bad Sumac bags with out a clear-cut idea of which is which and even what they are. The important part is that the book makes it simple for us to take a flatwoven bag and make a good attribution. Obviously I like the book but I asked the legendary Washington DC Carpet Dealer Harold Keshishian about it and he summed it up nicely, "One of the more important works today by an important academic".

Westphal-Hellbusch S.: Mutzen aus Zentral Asien und Persien (Caps of Central Asia and Persia) ; Berlin: 1976.

Wheat, J.B. The Gift of Spiderwoman. 1984,

Wheeler, Donald. Village and Nomad Turkish Rugs of the 18th and 19th Centuries ; San Francisco: 1974.

Wheeler, Mortimer et al. Splendors of the East. London, England: Spring Books, 1970,

I was out book shopping and I spotted this book mis-shelved in a used book warehouse. I was amazed at how valuable a reference in this project this book turned out to be. There are two different pictures of fighting elephants in this book which I needed and had given up looking for. No rugs however, strictly background material.

Wheeler, Pamela. Antique Rugs from the Caucasus Region of Russia ; San Francisco: 1974.

Willcox, Donald J.: The Techniques of Rug Knotting ; NY: 1971. 7 x 10, 17 CP 195 b/w.

White, Nellie Ballard. Twenty Oriental Rugs from the Collection of Nellie Ballard White. St. Louis 1932.

Whitechapel Art Gallery. Woven Air. 1988,

Whittaker, Alan ed.: A Pattern of Slavery, India's Carpet Boys ; (London): 1988. 6 x 9, Anti-Slavery Society and Cultural Survival publication. Number Nine in Child Labour Series., 12 b/w.

Wilbur, Donald N. Adventures in the Middle East. Princeton: The Darwin Press,1986.

This is the book that Don wrote after he retired where he admitted that all his earlier books were his cover as the CIA's man in Iran. A wonderful and exciting book.

Wilbur, Donald N. Afghanistan. New Haven: HRAF Press,1962.

A detailed general reference book to Afghanistan. This book and others were a result of the careful work he did for the CIA. These books gave him a cover under which he could do what he needed to do to make the world a better place in the service of our Government. The book is a general guide for the non-specialist.

Wilbur, Donald N. Iran Past and Present Eighth Edition. Princeton: Princeton University Press,1975.

The late Don Wilbur was a great scholar and this is a solid look at Iran. Reads like a country guide.

Wilbur, Donald N.: A Descriptive catalog of Dated Rugs and of Inscribed Rugs: (Washington): 1989.

A very useful but very dry piece of data collection. Very helpful with city and workshop carpets.

Wilber, Donald Newton. Architecture of Islamic Iran, the Il Khanid Period. 1955

Wilber, Donald Newton. Pakistan: Its People, Its Society, Its Culture. 1980

Wilber, Donald Newton. Persepolis: The Archaeology of Persia, Seat of the Persian Kings. 1989

This is a nice book on Persepolis. The pictures are good but not great and is of marginal interest from a rug viewpoint. I like the Greshman book for Persepolis pictures.

Wilber, Donald Newton. Persian Gardens and Garden Pavilions. 1979

Still perhaps the best source on Persian water gardens.

Wilber, Donald Newton. United Arab Republic-Egypt. 1969

Wilber, Donald Newton. Iran, Past and Present, from Monarchy to Islamic Republic. 1982

Wilber, Donald Newton. The Land and People of Ceylon. 1979

Wilber, Donald Newton. Riza Shah Pahlavi : The Resurrection and Reconstruction of Iran. An Exposition-University Book. 1975

Wilber, Donald Newton. The Timurid Architecture of Iran and Turan. (Princeton Monographs in Art and Archaeology, 46) 1988

Perhaps the definitive book on Timurid Architecture. This is Wilbur's best book..

Willborg, P. Textile Treasures. 1995,

Willborg, P., Black, D., & Loveless, C. Flatweaves From Fjord and Forest. 1984,

Willborg, Peter Ten Years Jubilee Exhibition Stockholm 1990. 8.5 x 12 Hardback. Dealer sales and exhibition catalog.

Willborg, Peter: Hamadan ; Stockholm: 1993.

Wilson, Ralph Pinder Islamic Art NY 1957.

Winscoe, Peter G. ABC of Carpet Selling ; (London): (1964).

Winstedt, Richard Editor. Indian Art. London UK: Faber and Faber Ltd.,1927.

A generally arrogant and idiosyncratic view of India in a very British manner. The book is dated and has been surpassed by more recent books but it helps to read this so that later works make more sense when they make reference to this book.

Wirgin, Jan. Kinesiska Mattor ; Stockholm: 1986.

Wittek, Paul. Royal Asiatic Society Monographs Vol. XXIII "The Rise of the Ottoman Empire". London UK: Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, . 1938 4th edition 1967.

A splendid little book with an interesting view of the rise of the greatest Turkomen dynasty.

Wolfe, FF. & Wolfe, A.T. How To Identify Oriental Rugs. 1927,

Woolley, C. Leonard. The Sumerians. New York: , W. W. Norton & Co., 1965.

This book contains trade data that Woolley gleaned at Ur that shows the Silk route 5500 years ago. From the Euphrates to the Zagros to the mountain of Lapis it shows an ancient trade route that is very important when we are looking art design migration.

Woods, John E. The Aqquyunlu Clan, Confederation, Empire. Minneapolis & Chicago: Bibliotheca Islamica, 1976.

A very valuable reference for understanding the background of the Turkic people of Iran especially Azerbaijan.

Worst, Edward F.: Dyes and Dyeing ; Pacific Grove (ND). 5 x 8.5, 47 pp., Reprint of Chapter XII from Foot-Power Loom Weaving.

Wright, Richard. Rugs and Flatweaves of the Transcaucasus. Pittsburgh: Richard Wright, 1980.

A useful reference and a nice show catalogue. I still use it occasionally when I am attributing Caucasian Rugs.

Wright, Richard. Wertime, John. Caucasian Carpets and Covers. London UK: Hali Publications Ltd. and Laurence King, 1995.

This is a useful book that you should have if you are interested in Caucasian Rugs. I especially liked the pictures of Pardaghys.

Wulff, Hans E. The Traditional Crafts of Persia, Their Development, Technology and Influence on Eastern and Western Civilization.

Yanai, Yigal. Suzani, Central Asian Embroideries ; Tel Aviv: 1986.

Yassavoli, Djavad ed. An Introduction to Persian Carpets, A Survey of the Carpet-Weaving Industry of Persia ; Tehran.

Ydema, Onno. Carpets and their Dating in Netherlandish Paintings 1540 - 1700. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors Club, 1991

I really liked this book. Ydema's look at the Nammenlose Gattung is captivating. When I first started this book I thought it was a real "yawner' but once I got going the book is a crackling good read.

Ye'or, Bat. The Dhimmi. Rutherford: Fairleigh Dickenson University Press, 1980.

Good solid work on the roles of Jews and Christians in Muslim lands. Well documented and definitely unsettling.

Yetkin, Serare. Early Caucasian Carpets in Turkey. London (UK):, Oguz Press Limited Humanities Press Inc., 1978, 8.5 x 10.5, Two volume set. From museum collections. 20 CP, 298 b/w.

I bought these books and shelved them for ages. One day someone asked me a question about dragon carpets and after going through every related book on my shelf I opened these and was pleasantly surprised. Yetkin has a thorough and thoroughly delight look at some very old rugs. For years I have heard people refer to such and such a rug from some mosque in Turkey now I know the source for those references. It is fun to see Charlie Ellis in some of the pictures.

Yetkin, S. Historical Turkish Carpets. 1981,

Yohe, Ralph S. Yuruk: The Nomadic Weaving Traditions in the Middle East, Catalogue of an Exhibition, with A. Landreau and R. Tschebull, Pittsburgh, 1978.

Yohe, Ralph S. "Moroccan Rugs". Washington DC: ICOC 1980.

Yohe, Ralph S. "Fieldwork In Eastern Anatolia". Washington DC: ICOC 1980.

Zartman, I. William. The Political Economy of Morocco. New York: Praeger, 1987.

Zadah Persian Carpets. Exhibition ; (London): (1981).

Zadah Persian Carpets. "Pars"-Carpets in the Persian Style ; London: 1983.

Ziemba, William and A. Akatay: Turkish Flatweaves, An Introduction to the Weaving and Culture of Anatolia ; London: 197

Zimmer, Heinrich: Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization ; New York: 1946. 6 x 9, Bollingen series VI. Edited by Joseph Campbell., 70 b/w, 1953.

Zipper, Kurt: Turkische Teppich Ein Brevies (Turkish Rugs) ; Braunschweig: 1972. 5 x 7.5, Mostly Turkish prayer rugs. German text., 12 CP, 6 b/w.

Zipper, K and C. Fritzsche: Oriental Rugs: Volume 4 Turkish ; Munich: 1989.

Excellent comprehensive guide to Turkish rugs and carpets. This is one of the best and most useful books for the average collectors.

Zuffetti, Celestina and P. Castelli. Tappeti del Tibet (Carpets from Tibet) ; San Donato: 1991.