Book Review: In Search of Wild Silk by Karen Selk
In Search of Wild Silk: Exploring a Village Industry in the Jungles of India
by Karen Selk
Schiffer Craft
$39.99, hardcover 8.5 x 11 with 270 pages, and 360 photographs.
Published: March 28, 2023
Buy now at Bookshop.org
Review by Jacqueline Harp (Instagram: @foreverfiberarts)
Just as the title implies, Karen Selk’s book focuses on the struggles of small wild silk producers making a place for themselves in the vast Indian textile industry. The author briefly touches on India’s wild silk history while also tying in the industry’s position in modern times, expertly guiding us through the process of making silk from the moth to the finished fabric. She addresses the industry’s ecological impacts, the importance of slow fashion, and women supporting women. The book has something for everyone: handspinners, weavers, designers, and the curious. Selk does a wonderful job describing the life cycle of three silk moths that produce wild silk: tasar, muga, and eri. Her writing style is a delightful mix of journal entries, interviews, insights, and facts about wild silk.
The author has over forty years of textile arts experience. She has devoted her life to educating, traveling, researching, and writing about the importance of silk in the complex ecosystem of farming, fashion, and art. From the very first pages of this book, you can’t help but feel inspired by her labor of love. There is no better way to illustrate her passion for silk and the fiber arts than by sharing the dedication from page three:
“…to all those who appreciate and support the making of natural fiber cloth. From the soil that grows natural dyes, fibers like cotton and linen, or leaves and grass that feeds animals that give us their fiber to the finished rug, garment, or home furnishing dedicated farmers and artisans gift us with their love and creativity. I am grateful for your integrity and caring to champion those devoted to providing us with sustainable, ethical, ecological, and beautiful textiles.”
Lastly, the full-color photographs and tastefully drawn illustrations are a treat for the eyes. Each one tells a story, inspires, or helps us visualize a complicated aspect of the life cycle of wild silk as it makes its way from villages to big cities to places the world over. What are you waiting for? This substantial tome is waiting for you to begin the expedition from the comfort of your coffee table. Make yourself smarter about wild silk, fiber of legends and rich history.
