Sprang is a method of making fabric by manipulating the parallel threads of a warp that is
fixed at both ends. Manipulating the threads results in cloth forming at both ends, and that
cloth has a very stretchy quality. This book is still the most authoritative
document on the method, containing history, setup instructions, information on diverse structures,
diagrams, and photos of completed works.
Sprang has been used for at least three thousand years. This detailed book offers not only a
historical and ethnographical study of the subject, but also deals with most of the historical
material, as known at the time of writing in 1974, so it will be useful in museum circles. For
the individual student of sprang the techniques described herin include those found in historical
fabrics together with many developments and inventions made by the author and other contemporary
workers in the medium. The descriptions of both old and new techniques appear in the place
appropriate to the classification adopted and it is generally made clear in the text when it
is an old or traditional technique that is being described.
The book includes an extensive bibliography and index. The book ends with a set of 69 photos,
five of which show people working using traditional frames. Photos of historic pieces, modern works,
as well as study pieces each have a caption referring to the page on which information can be found
relating to the structure in the photo.
