Book 103

Textile Machines

by Anna P. Benson

Published 1 September 2002
This book combines a description of about fifty important textile machines with an analysis of their evolution. Each machine is dealt with in the context of its time, showing the impact that even a simple device like the fulling stocks had on textile production. The greater organisation of the domestic system in the eighteenth century gave impetus to the development of machines like the dandy loom and the spinning jenny. The author examines the revolutionary inventions of the late eighteenth century and how they led to the industrialisation of the textile industry.

Book 154

Looms and Weaving

by Anna P. Benson and Neil Warburton

Published 6 September 2002
This book describes the development of the loom from a crude wooden frame to a sophisticated electronic weaving machine. It introduces textile techniques and there is a description of primitive looms. Medieval craft guilds, the domestic system and Yeoman Weavers are dealt with, while handloom weaving is contrasted with the mill system. The authors examine fabrics such as brocades produced on Chinese drawlooms and the introduction of Jacquard and dobby weaving in the nineteenth century. The reaction against industrialisation and William Morris's inauguration of the Arts and Crafts movement are discussed in relation to the revival of the twentieth century.