First Indian book to win the prestigious RL Shep Ethnic Textiles Book Award

Block Printed Textiles of India: Imprints of Culture, authored by Eiluned Edwards and published by Niyogi Books, has been selected to receive the RL Shep Ethnic Textiles Book Award for 2016. The award will be formally presented at the award banquet, which will be held at the next TSA Biennial Symposium, Oct. 19-23, 2018 in Vancouver, Canada.

The award encourages the study and understanding of textile traditions by recognizing and rewarding exceptional scholarship that clearly communicates its subject, fostering appreciation for the field of textiles. Although not a first from the Asian continent, Block Printed Textiles of India: Imprints of Culture is the first ever book from India which has won this award.

Block Printed Textiles of India: Imprints of Culture describes how one of the subcontinent’s foremost crafts has played a key role in the creation of visual identity in India and has also been a significant source of revenue through centuries of international trade. It reveals how block prints are integral to both caste dress and modern urban style. Used nowadays for soft furnishings and fashion, they have become a perennial favourite with Indian designers and in the global fashion market. Contemporary production and use of block prints is explained, and the social and historical roots of the craft are outlined. The book is lavishly illustrated and creates a vibrant account of the development and recent regeneration of the craft, confirming that block prints are stamped with the imprints of an ancient, diverse and ever-evolving culture.