Virginia Postrel's Books

The Fabric of Civilization

How Textiles Made the World

By: Virginia Postrel

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The Fabric of Civilization

How Textiles Made the World

By: Virginia Postrel

From Paleolithic flax to 3D knitting, explore the global history of textiles and the world they weave together in this enthralling and educational guide. The story of humanity is the story of textiles -- as old as civilization itself. Since the first thread was spun, the need for textiles has driven technology, business, politics, and culture. In The Fabric of Civilization, Virginia Postrel synthesizes groundbreaking research from archaeology, economics, and science to reveal a surprising history. From Minoans exporting wool colored with precious purple dye to Egypt, to Romans arrayed in costly Chinese silk, the cloth trade paved the crossroads of the ancient world. Textiles funded the Renaissance and the Mughal Empire; they gave us banks and bookkeeping, Michelangelo's David and the Taj Mahal. The cloth business spread the alphabet and arithmetic, propelled chemical research, and taught people to think in binary code. Assiduously researched and deftly narrated, The Fabric of Civilization tells the story of the world's most influential commodity.

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320

Publisher

Basic Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1541617614

ISBN 13

9781541617612

The Future and Its Enemies

The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise,

By: Virginia Postrel

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The Future and Its Enemies

The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise,

By: Virginia Postrel

Today we have greater wealth, health, opportunity, and choice than at any time in history. Yet a chorus of intellectuals and politicians laments our current condition -- as slaves to technology, coarsened by popular culture, and insecure in the face of economic change. The future, they tell us, is dangerously out of control, and unless we precisely govern the forces of change, we risk disaster. In The Future and Its Enemies, Virginia Postrel explodes the myths behind these claims. Using examples that range from medicine to fashion, she explores how progress truly occurs and demonstrates that human betterment depends not on conformity to one central vision but on creativity and decentralized, open-ended trial and error. She argues that these two opposing world-views -- "stasis" vs. "dynamism" -- are replacing "left" and "right" to define our cultural and political debate as we enter the next century. In this bold exploration of how civilizations learn, Postrel heralds a fundamental shift in the way we view politics, culture, technology, and society as we face an unknown -- and invigorating -- future.

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292

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Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

1439135320

ISBN 13

9781439135327

The Power of Glamour

Longing and the Art of Visual Persuasion

By: Virginia Postrel

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The Power of Glamour

Longing and the Art of Visual Persuasion

By: Virginia Postrel

An exploration of glamour, a potent cultural force that influences where people choose to live, which careers to pursue, where to invest, and how to vote, offers empowerment to be smarter about engaging with the world.

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288

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Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

1416561110

ISBN 13

9781416561118

The Future and Its Enemies

The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise,

By: Virginia Postrel

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The Future and Its Enemies

The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise,

By: Virginia Postrel

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292

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Simon and Schuster

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1439135320

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9781439135327

The Power of Glamour

Longing and the Art of Visual Persuasion

By: Virginia Postrel

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The Power of Glamour

Longing and the Art of Visual Persuasion

By: Virginia Postrel

In provocative detail with more than one hundred illustrations, critically acclaimed author Virginia Postrel separates glamour from glitz, revealing what qualities make a person, an object, a setting, or an experience glamorous. What is it that creates that pleasurable pang of desire—the feeling of “if only”? If only I could wear those clothes, belong to that group, drive that car, live in that house, be (or be with) that person? Postrel identifies the three essential elements in all forms of glamour and explains how they work to create a distinctive sensation of projection and yearning. The Power of Glamour is the very first book to explain what glamour really is—not just style or a personal quality but a phenomenon that reveals our inner lives and shapes our decisions, large and small. By embodying the promise of a different and better self in different and better circumstances, glamour stokes ambition and nurtures hope, even as it fosters sometimes-dangerous illusions. From vacation brochures to military recruiting ads, from the Chrysler Building to the iPad, from political utopias to action heroines, Postrel argues that glamour is a seductive cultural force. Its magic stretches beyond the stereotypical spheres of fashion or film, influencing our decisions about what to buy, where to live, which careers to pursue, where to invest, and how to vote. The result is myth shattering: a revelatory theory that explains how glamour became a powerful form of nonverbal persuasion, one that taps into our most secret dreams and deepest yearnings to influence our everyday choices.

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428

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Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

1476718873

ISBN 13

9781476718873

The Fabric of Civilization

How Textiles Made the World

By: Virginia Postrel

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The Fabric of Civilization

How Textiles Made the World

By: Virginia Postrel

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320

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Basic Books

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1541617614

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9781541617612

Glamour

Fashion, Industrial Design, Architecture

By: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art,Phil Patton,Virginia Postrel,San Francisco Museum of Art,Valerie Steele

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Glamour

Fashion, Industrial Design, Architecture

By: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art,Phil Patton,Virginia Postrel,San Francisco Museum of Art,Valerie Steele

This catalogue revises our understanding of glamour in the fields of fashion, industrial design, and architecture. Tracing glamour's trajectory from Hollywood's golden age to its present-day connotations of affluence, this illustrated volume presents an array of postwar couture, jewelry, automobile, furniture, and built and unbuilt architecture - all of which share an affinity for richly decorative patterning, complex layering, and sumptuous materials.

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205

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Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300106408

ISBN 13

9780300106404

The Substance of Style

How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness

By: Virginia Postrel

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The Substance of Style

How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness

By: Virginia Postrel

Whether it's sleek leather pants, a shiny new Apple computer, or a designer toaster, we make important decisions as consumers every day based on our sensory experience. Sensory appeals are everywhere, and they are intensifying, radically changing how Americans live and work. The twenty-first century has become the age of aesthetics, and whether we realize it or not, this influence has taken over the marketplace, and much more. In this penetrating, keenly observed book, Virginia Postrel makes the argument that appearance counts, that aesthetic value is real. Drawing from fields as diverse as fashion, real estate, politics, design, and economics, Postrel deftly chronicles our culture's aesthetic imperative and argues persuasively that it is a vital component of a healthy, forward-looking society. Intelligent, incisive, and thought-provoking, The Substance of Style is a groundbreaking portrait of the democratization of taste and a brilliant examination of the way we live now.

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273

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Harper Collins

Published Date

ISBN 10

0061852864

ISBN 13

9780061852862

The Substance of Style

How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness

By: Virginia Postrel

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The Substance of Style

How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness

By: Virginia Postrel

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273

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Harper Collins

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0061852864

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9780061852862

棉花、絲綢、牛仔褲：從畜牧、紡紗到工業革命，一窺人類與紡織的文明史

By: Virginia Inman Postrel

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棉花、絲綢、牛仔褲：從畜牧、紡紗到工業革命，一窺人類與紡織的文明史

By: Virginia Inman Postrel

《紐約時報》、《華爾街日報》、《出版人週刊》書評盛讚從尼安德塔人如何紡紗，到近代社會衣著的形塑，自人類紡出第一條線為始，紡織品成為推動人類歷史前進的重要因素！人類歷史有多長，織物的歷史就有多長。紡織品與紡織技術，是人類文明的重大結晶，也是人類歷史的象徵。從上古時代農業社會興起時，人類種植的農業作物，從農業作物中紡出細細纖維，創造了遮蔽身體的布料，也開創了文化與歷史的航程。隨著工業發展、數學邏輯的創新，人們對於紡織的技術也逐漸加強。對紡織品的渴望，使商人跨越大陸、水手橫渡海洋，推動了人類走向世界，促進了與遠方人們交流的可能性。古羅馬的貴族穿著中國的絲織品、紡織業的蓬勃促使了義大利文藝復興、工業革命的出現源自於對紡織品的需求……紡織交流傳播了阿拉伯數字與複式記帳法，產生了金融機構、孕育了跨洋黑奴貿易，全球貿易就在此之下不斷膨脹。紡織技術的創造與創新，在人類歷史長河中，擁有無法抹去的地位，織品的故事涵蓋了美麗與天賦、過度與殘忍、社會階序與微妙的變通、和平貿易與野蠻戰爭。近代以來的技術革新、化學發展，甚至是電子產業的創新創立，都為織品的技術帶來史無前例的衝擊與挹注。然而，從人類誕生之始便與歷史交織的織品，是如何被視為習以為常？它們是如何在歷史中無所不在又處處不可見？對織品的渴望又從何而來？又是如何成為身份地位、時尚流行的象徵？此書從上古一路爬梳到近代的產業發展，從微小又不被重視的織品，探究世界在織品的命運之輪運轉之下，如何編織成一部部文明的成品。好評推薦聯合推薦陳國棟中央研究院歷史語言研究所研究員馮亞敏喜事國際時尚集團創辦人「無論文明的進程走到哪個階段，織品總是包裹著生活。環繞著織染的故事，纏繞著糾結不開的歷史紋理。作者巧手裁製，值得讀者珍惜。」 ──中央研究院歷史語言研究所研究員陳國棟「內容廣泛……作者非常擅長強調紡織品如何真正改變世界。」 ──《華爾街日報》「我們踏上了一段史詩般的、多變的旅程，就像絲綢本身。」 ──《紐約時報》「內容迷人和廣泛……這是一個引人入勝題目，著重織物在人類歷史上所扮演的角色。」 ──《出版人週刊》「從石器時代到矽谷，織品始終是世界歷史的要角。維吉妮亞．波斯崔爾對於這個主題的知識淵博，但她傳遞知識的筆觸輕盈，一如織布機上的潘妮洛普（Penelope）。這本書雄心勃勃、淵識博學又引人入勝，閱讀起來既是教益，也是愉悅。」 ──貝瑞．史特勞斯（Barry Strauss），《羅馬十帝》（Ten Ceasars）作者「維吉妮亞．波斯崔爾創作了一部迷人的織品歷史，從舊石器時代的開端，說到現在和未來──從野草拔取的最早植物纖維，到線條內嵌電腦晶片的合成織物。你說，我們為何應該探討區區布料？正是由於它在我們的生活中角色愈來愈吃重，我們卻以為理所當然……本書研究紮實、可讀性高，是不折不扣的款待。」 ──伊莉莎白．巴伯（Elizabeth Wayland Barber），《女人的工作》（Women’s Work）作者「一部迷人、出人意表、文筆優美的技術、經濟、文化史，經由人類最不可或缺的製造物──織品的線條而述說。我愛它。」 ──馬特．瑞德利（Matt Ridley），《創新如何作用》（How Innovation Works）作者「技術的故事是人類巧思的故事，而織品的故事彰顯得再清楚不過：最早的技術，超越了我們普遍以為的『技術』。正如波斯崔爾所述，和許多技術一樣，我們在大量享用它們時，卻遺忘了它們的由來；她的著作將我們對於每天使用，卻渾然不知的這項技術之記憶歸還給我們。」 ──馬克．安德里森（Mark Andreessen），網景（Netscape）與安德里森─霍洛維茲公司（Andreessen Horowitz）共同創辦人「維吉妮亞．波斯崔爾刻劃出了全球各地人們解決種植纖維、紡紗、織布，並為織物賦予斑斕色彩等問題的巧思。本書不只令讀者對每天與我們為伴的織品大開眼界，也對於製造者的非凡技藝大開眼界。」 ──珍妮．巴爾福─保羅（Jenny Balfour-Paul），《靛色》（Indigo）作者「這本書是我閱讀過，關於織品歷史最扣人心弦的著作之一──風趣、研究紮實，充滿了我從來不知道的趣事，即使我對於紡織技術頗有涉獵。（你知道呢絨商的信用狀協助建立了歐洲早期銀行體系嗎？或者苯胺染料是有機化學最早的用途之一？）要是你覺得伊莉莎白．魏蘭．巴伯的《女人的工作：最初兩萬年》很有趣，這本書就會讓你神魂顛倒。我愛它。」 ──邱恬（Tien Chiu，音譯），編織者、教師、《精益求精》（Master Your Craft）作者「波斯崔爾這部高明、博學、令人著迷的著作，述說了人類巧思的故事……她深刻的故事是關於容許進步的自由。如今，奴隸、農奴和紡織工人的後裔，都有了裝滿衣櫃的美麗衣裳，還有禦寒的衣服，這場自一八○○年以來的大富足（Great Enrichment）增長了三十倍。」 ──戴爾德麗．南森．麥克洛斯基（Deirdre Nansen McCloskey），「資產階級時代三部曲」作者「本書文筆清晰、完全易懂，為織品開創了全新的世界，以同等熱情說明最古老的出土織物，以及讓身體涼爽的最新高分子混合物（後者不像織品數千年來讓身體暖和）。」 ──芮樂偉．韓森（Valerie Hansen），《西元一千年》（The Year 1000）作者「這本書比我在大學上過的任何一堂紡織科學或紡織史課程都更迷人，也更能增廣見聞。波斯崔爾將製作與操控細繩（線）的千萬年時間，濃縮成了一部淺顯易懂的讀物，不論你知不知道它的發明或當今生物工程研究都能讀懂。她將個人經驗交織於其中，也訪問了歷史學者、電腦程式設計師、科學家、織品考古學者、以及當代和原住民工匠，並深入織品實驗室和製造工廠的幕後。讀完本書之後，我感到自己宛如漫遊了世界千百年，用織物當作貨幣和財富。我打贏過以織品為名義的政治戰。我既為之反胃，也受它療癒。如今我則是發明家，運用化學方法合成有益於環境的織物。我對於織品如何締造世界的感謝與理解都大大提高了。」 ──瑪莉蓮．莫菲（Marilyn Murphy），布料之路（ClothRoads）共同創辦人、交織（Interweave）前會長「無論哪種纖維藝術家，都準備好經由一本紡織史的新書，來場刺激的閱讀吧！維吉妮亞．波斯崔爾的新書，會以出人意表的途徑，翻轉你對織物和文明的舊想法。全書各章大致與紡紗、編織、染色等個別紡織過程相關，作者指出，織品是我們的記數系統、銀行業、貿易、科學之基礎。本書充滿了個人的故事，他們因著對紡織過程的敏感而創新了整個體系。作者實際上在寫作本書之際學會了紡紗和織布，她的說明與圖解很準確。本書搭配了豐富的照片和插圖，並且包含了詳盡的書目。非常推薦。」 ──愛麗絲．施萊恩（Alice Schlein），編織者，《網路織紋》（Network Drafting）與《織像素》（Woven Pixel）作者「這本書記述了那些逐步積累的艱鉅創新，它們讓織物在我們的舒適、文化認同，以及我們對可編程功能的依賴中，發揮不可或缺的作用。有時，社會的織理看似襤褸，但依據織品的全球性質，得知所有文化都共享同一套經驗，仍令人寬慰。波斯崔爾提醒了我們，我們全都被五彩繽紛的線編織在一起。」 ──蘇西．泰勒（Susie Taylor），藝術家

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臺灣商務印書館

Published Date

ISBN 10

9570535008

ISBN 13

9789570535006

A Tale of Two Colonies

What Really Happened in Virginia and Bermuda?

By: Virginia Bernhard

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A Tale of Two Colonies

What Really Happened in Virginia and Bermuda?

By: Virginia Bernhard

Subject: In this fascinating tale of England's first two New World colonies, Bernhard links Virginia and Bermuda in a series of unintended consequences resulting from natural disaster, ignorance of native cultures, diplomatic intrigue, and the fateful arrival of the first Africans in both colonies. --from publisher description

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234

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University of Missouri Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0826219519

ISBN 13

9780826219510

Virginia Honey: A Sweet History

By: Virginia C. Johnson

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Virginia Honey: A Sweet History

By: Virginia C. Johnson

Honeybees have been a part of Virginia's history since they arrived with the first European colonists. They were Jamestown's valuable addition and a Civil War soldier's sweet if painful temptation, and they served as homefront heroes when the world wars caused sugar shortages. In recent years, mead has seen a resurgence along with beekeeping and has claimed a place as a craft beverage in the Commonwealth. Join author Virginia Johnson to hunt escaped swarms flying wild in the forests, visit modern-day observation hives and follow the mead path across the Commonwealth for a taste of history.

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208

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Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1467146897

ISBN 13

9781467146890

Collections of the Virginia Historical Society: New Series;

By: Virginia Historical Society

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Collections of the Virginia Historical Society: New Series;

By: Virginia Historical Society

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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310

Publisher

Sagwan Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1377096890

ISBN 13

9781377096896

Book's by Virginia Postrel

The Fabric of Civilization

The Fabric of Civilization

The Future and Its Enemies

The Future and Its Enemies

The Power of Glamour

The Power of Glamour

The Future and Its Enemies

The Future and Its Enemies

The Power of Glamour

The Power of Glamour

The Fabric of Civilization

The Fabric of Civilization

Glamour

Glamour

The Substance of Style

The Substance of Style

The Substance of Style

The Substance of Style

棉花、絲綢、牛仔褲：從畜牧、紡紗到工業革命，一窺人類與紡織的文明史

棉花、絲綢、牛仔褲：從畜牧、紡紗到工業革命，一窺人類與紡織的文明史

A Tale of Two Colonies

A Tale of Two Colonies

Virginia Honey: A Sweet History

Virginia Honey: A Sweet History

Collections of the Virginia Historical Society: New Series;

Collections of the Virginia Historical Society: New Series;

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