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American Quilts: The Democratic Art, 1780-2007

"Surely the most important quilt book ever! I hope it will get people talking more about quilts as art." Laura Fisher

Sumptuous, informative, and engaging, this is the ultimate book on American quilts as art. Written by one of the leading scholars in the field, it’s a fascinating chronicle of the growth and evolution of an art form with a rich heritage. Not only does author Robert Shaw provide an insightful look at quilting aesthetics, he places the craft in its historical, cultural, and socioeconomic context, providing a visually lush journey through American history.

This opulent volume starts with old-world traditions and goes up to date, examining key moments that had an impact on quilting culture—including Amish emigration, slavery and the Civil War, the Depression, new sewing technology, and the Bicentennial. More than 350 stunning images capture a rich variety of work created by people from all walks of life.

Hardcover with dust jacket. 10.1 x 10.1 in., 384 pp., more than 350 color photos. Sterling Publishing, December 2009. ISBN-13: 978-1402747731.

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America's Traditional Crafts
"Probably the information source on major U.S. crafts."
-Booklist

Hardcover with dust jacket, 14 x 11 in., over 300 color photos, Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1992. ISBN: 0-88363-693-X.

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Art Quilts: A Celebration—400 Stnning Contemporary Designs
This genre-spanning anthology features 10 years worth of the most innovative pieces chosen for the Quilt National biennial exhibition--the top showcase for modern quilt artists. Acclaimed author Robert Shaw, a widely recognized expert on American folk art, introduces the volume and provides both a beautifully illustrated history of the art quilt movement and a special section on building, displaying, and caring for collections of quality pieces. The techniques and materials featured in these 400 spectacular quilts are as varied as the people who created them, and through spectacular color photographs and artists' discussions, readers will discover how the boundaries of traditional quilt-making have expanded in the last decade. 8 1/2 X 11. all in color.

Softcover with folding flaps, 512 pp- 8 1/2 x 11, 400 color photos, Lark Books, 2005. ISBN: 1-57990-711-3

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The Art Quilt
"With the appearance of this gorgeous and ambitious book, it seems unlikely that quilts could ever again be dismissively assumed to be staid, quaint, bound by tradition, or strictly utilitarian. The Art Quilt is an art-lover's treasure, a quiltmaker's bible, and a collector's reminder of all the wonderful quilts yet to covet."
-Threads Magazine

Hardcover with dust jacket, 14 x 11 in., 312 pp., more than 300 color photos. Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1997. ISBN: 0-88363-952-1

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Call to the Sky: The Decoy Collection of James M. McCleery, M.D.
Catalog of 1992 Houston Museum of Natural Science exhibition of the greatest decoy collection of all time. Dr. McCleery's collection was sold at Sotheby's in New York in 2000, where it brought more than $11,000,000.

Hardcover with dust jacket,7.5 x 10.25 in., 120 pp., 60 full page color photos. Gulf Publishing Company, 1992. ISBN: 0-88415-057-7.

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Contemporary Art Quilts: The John M. Walsh III Collection
Catalog of 2001 exhibition at University of Kentucky Art Museum. The Walsh Collection is considered the finest private collection of art quilts in the world, and features outstanding work by Pauline Burbidge, Nancy Crow, Gayle Fraas and Duncan Slade, Michael James, M. Joan Lintault, Terrie Hancock Mangat, Therese May, Jan Myers-Newbury, Joan Schulze, Pamela Studstill, and other masters of the art.

Softcover, 9.25 x 11.5 in., 48 pp. University of Kentucky. ISBN: 1-882007-18

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Great Guitars
"Robert Shaw is a crafts and music curator, and an accomplished guitarist, which explains this book, a must-read -- and drool-over -- for anyone who loves guitars. In a lengthy, fascinating introduction, Shaw offers a tour of the instrument's development, technology and construction, and the ways musicians have used it. Dozens of photographs of famous guitarists with their favorite instruments, and -- here's where guitar-lovers get hooked -- nearly 50 stunning, full-color photos of historical instruments and contemporary work by the world's foremost luthiers."
-The Literary Review (November 1998)

Hardcover with dust jacket, 12 x 9 in., 128 pp., 50 full-page color photos. Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1997. ISBN: 0-88363-397-3

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Hand Made, Hand Played: The Art & Craft of Contemporary Guitars
We are living in a golden age of guitarmaking, and this gorgeous new book offers a definitive look at the work of the most skilled artisans at work today. From reproductions of Renaissance and Baroque-era instruments to the wildest looking and most technically advanced electric guitars on the planet, this book covers it all. More than 300 color photos of guitars of every kind imaginable—classical guitars, flattops, archtops, harp guitars, Hawaiian lap guitars, Dobros and metal bodied resonators, acoustic and electric basses, hollow and solid bodied electrics, and more. A must have for every guitarist you know and for anyone interested in contemporary instrument building and craftsmanship.

Softcover with folding flaps. 11 x 8.5 x 1.3 inches, 416 pages, more than 300 color images! Lark Books, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-1579907877

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Hawaiian Quilt Masterpieces
"First brought to the islands by missionaries and traders in the late 19th century, quilting in Hawaii adapted to the physical and cultural environment of the islands to become a distinctive art form. The earliest quilt in this collection of Hawaiian masterworks dates from 1874 and the most recent from 1995. Following the format of his earlier Quilts: A Living Tradition, Shaw includes a detailed color photograph, a historical introduction, and a critique for each of the 48 quilts. Essential for textile history collections."
-Library Journal

Hardcover, 12 x 9 in., 120 pp., 50 full-page color photos. Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1997. ISBN: 0-88363-396-5

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The McCleery Auction
"While the final word regarding the James McCleery auction/collection may never be in, the definitive words on the subject have recently been published. Shaw and Gard have not only paid tribute to one of world's greatest collectors, they have also paralleled his ideals with their effort."
Antiques & the Arts Weekly

"... like having a wonderful scrapbook, all beautifully assembled by the editors, of the most memorable and important event in the history of decoy collecting."
-Decoy Magazine

Hardcover with dust jacket, 10.25 x 10.25 in., 214 pp., over 100 color photos. Lake Emma Press, 2001. ISBN: 0-9705508-1-2

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Quilts: A Living Tradition
"This volume stands out amid a plethora of books on the history of the quilt, not only for the richness of its carefully chosen illustrations but also for the wealth of information it conveys. Highly recommended."
-Library Journal

Hardcover with dust jacket, 14 x 11 in. 312 pp., over 300 color photos. Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1994. ISBN: 0-88363-395-7.