Neff, Ivan C., 1928-. Dictionary of oriental rugs : with a monograph on identification by weave / Ivan C. Neff & Carol V. Maggs. [0949937355] London : Ad. Donker, 1977.
Call#: University Museum Library NK2808 .N27

 

A concise and reasonably informative dictionary of rug terms, and ethnographic and geographic information related to the rugs of anatolia, iran, the caucasus and central asia.  Casts a critical eye on much of the literature and lore of earlier books on the topic.  Has a good, detailed insert map.  The dictionary is prefaced by the monograph on identification by weave and an illustrated appendix showing rug specimens from the front and back.  The appendix attempts to document the major point of the monograph, specifically that the provenance of rugs can be determined by their "finger prints", technical details evident in the materials and structure of the weave.  The only thing new here is the exaggeration of the authors' claim.

Edwards, A. Cecil..

Persian carpet : a survey of the carpet-weaving industry of Persia / A. Cecil Edwards.London : G.Duckworth & co., 1960 [c1953]
Call#: Van Pelt Library 745.52 ED92

A standard, but hard-to-find introduction to Persian carpets, written by an English rug dealer who traveled extensively in Iran during the first and second quarters of the twentieth century. Edwards' writing reflects a first hand knowledge of the people and their production, as well as peculiar racial and cultural prejudices of the British middle class. He provides quantitative surveys of village and tribal rug output, and adds lots of colorful anecdotes about rug dealing in the bizaars of Shiraz and Hamadan. As an entreprenuer, his approach is not scholarly, but he does provide useful insights into the rug market during mid century and the general decline of the Persian rug after 1900. Like many books of its time, this one was targeted at consumers interested in the hallmarks of quality and the provenance of Persian rugs.

Moshkova, V.G. (Valentina Georgievna), 1902-1952.. Carpets of the people of central Asia of the late XIX and early XX centuries / V.G. Moshkova ; edited and translated by George W. O'Bannon and Ovadan K. Amanova-Olsen ; photography by Gary McKinnis. [0965342107] Tucson, AZ : G.W. O'Bannon, c1996.
Call#: University Museum Library NK2875.A1 M6713 1996

Seminal work on the weavings of central Asian peoples. Research is based on extensive field work with various Turkomen tribes and the nomadic peoples of Uzbekistan, Kirghizistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. An early and important book of scholarship in a literature dominated by traders from the West and collectors. Printed in a limited edition of about 1,000 copies, this hard-to-text is based on V.G. Moshkova's doctoral dissertation with commentary by the publisher, George O'Bannon.

Stone, Peter F.. Oriental rug lexicon / Peter F. Stone. [0295975741 (alk. paper)] Seattle : University of Washington Press, c1997.
Call#: Fine Arts Library Reference NK2808 .S859 1997

Eagleton, William..

Introduction to Kurdish rugs and other weavings / William Eagleton. [0905906500] Buckhurst Hill, Essex : Scorpion Publishing, 1988.
Call#: Fine Arts Library NK2809.K87 E14 1988

A slim, readable introduction to the varied weavings of Kurdish groups. Chapters provide technical analyses that are useful in differentiating and identifying the output of Kurds from eastern Anatolia, to the Caspian region to Iran. Eagleton's knowledge of the materials and processes of rug making was excellent. By dint of a long diplomatic career in the Middle East, he had a deep knowledge of the people, their social and political history, as well as their craft. He was a notable collector.

Helfgott, Leonard Michael, 1937-. Ties that bind : a social history of the Iranian carpet / Leonard M. Helfgott. [1560982691 (cloth : alk. paper)] Washington : Smithsonian Institution Press, c1994.
Call#: Van Pelt Library HD9937.I712 H45 1993

Mast, Theodore.. Ruglore and ruglife : a folkloric study of Oriental rugs, rug weaving and and rug scholarship with a focus on Turkey and the Caucasus / Theodore Mast.1995.
Call#: Van Pelt Library GR001 1995 .M423

Craycraft, Michael.. Belouch prayer rugs : from the exhibition at Adraskand Gallery, Point Reyes Station, California, Summer 1982 / text by Michael Craycraft ; photography Dennis Anderson ; project director Anne Halley.[United States] : Dennis Anderson Photography, Publishing Division, c1983.
Call#: Fine Arts Library NK2809.B45 C89 1983

 

A good ethnographic study of Baluch prayer rugs from the 19th and early 20th centuries.  Establishes criteria for identifying the provenance of Baluch weavings by structure, design, material properties, and tribal hallmarks.  The excellently photographed examples draw from an important exhibition of Baluch weavings at the Adraskand Gallery in 1982.  Only a small number of copies were printed. 

Ellis, Charles Grant.. Early Caucasian rugs / Charles Grant Ellis.Washington, D.C. : the Textile Museum, [1975?]
Call#: Fine Arts Library NK2809.C3 E443

Philadelphia Museum of Art.. Oriental carpets in the Philadelphia Museum of Art / Charles Grant Ellis. [0876330707 (pbk.) :] Philadelphia, Pa. : Philadelphia Museum of Art : Distributed by the University of Pennsylvania Press, c1988.
Call#: Fine Arts Library NK2808 .P5 1988

 

A significant work on carpets of the classical period of rug manufacture based on examples in an equally significant collection.  A terrific companion when touring the rugs on display at the Museum.

Social life of things : commodities in cultural perspective / edited by Arjun Appadurai. [0521323517] Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, c1986.
Call#: University Museum Library GN450 .S63 1986

 

Includes an interesting essay about the material culture of carpets by Penn anthropologist Brian Spooner