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January 2018 Vol. 55 No. 5

This volume celebrates the Denver Museum of Nature and Science's Crane Collection, donated to the museum in 1968, which is one of the largest collections of Navajo textiles in the world. Webster (anthropology, Univ. of Arizona) et al. present Navajo weaving and weavers through documents, individual objects, and personal narrative. The book explores the history of the Navajo rug trade, including long-term changes in the Navajo textile market and contemporary issues. The work of Navajo and Anglo scholars, the volume combines anthropology, history, and expert Navajo weavers’ narratives, particularly as related to individual rugs. The first half of the book comprises five chapters: the first three provide a history of the collection, the Navajo textile trade, and exhibitions; the last two provide personal narratives from two expert Navajo weavers from long-established weaving families. The remaining 100 pages offer plates and commentary. The 57 plates of Navajo weaving are extraordinary, as are the dual narratives by both Anglo and Navajo scholars. This approach enriches understanding of the textiles and clarifies the critical nature of a multidisciplinary approach to scholarship. This book is an important resource for interdisciplinary work in anthropology and art history, and artists will find the book’s visual and written narrative inspirational.

--L. L. Kriner, Berea College

Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.