"Fascinating and much-needed...the first to cover this wide, surprisingly colorful realm in its entirety."— San Diego Union Tribune

Navajo wedding baskets and Apache water baskets; sweetgrass and black ash splint baskets from New York State; rattan hanging baskets from Bangladesh; lacquered picnic baskets from China; Berber baskets from Morocco; Zulu coiled pots; rope rim baskets from France; birch bark strips from Finland; willow frame baskets from Wales; horsehair from Chile; plaited yucca from Mexico...

While basketmaking as a living art and craft has an extensive modern literature, this is the first book to provide a worldwide survey. The book covers over eighty richly illustrated topics:

• materials—from bamboo and bark to palms, grasses, and synthetic fibers;

• techniques—from twining and plaiting to coiling, linking, and looping;

• decoration—from natural dyes to embroidery and embellishment;

• everyday basketry—from cradles to fishing creels;

• wider applications—from art to hats, architecture to transport.

Complete with advice on collecting, a glossary, and information on where to see baskets, this survey will be essential for anyone concerned with craft, decorative objects, and interior design. 833 illustrations, 697 in color.