In Search of Wild Silk: Exploring a Village Industry in the Jungles of India

This book by Karen Selk is excellent on many levels and exceeded my expectations when I bought it. And no, I do not know the author. It is such an important contribution that I bought copies for two institutional libraries in the USA and for colleagues in China, India, Germany, and Israel. Fortunately, the price is unexpectedly low for such a nicely produced hardbound book. The publisher deserves much credit for designing a very attractive book (color images on almost every page) and for allowing the author a lot of autonomy to communicate her passion and respect for the people and sericulture of India and to present her in-depth knowledge on these topics. The book showcases the sericulture of three kinds of wild silks, namely muga, eri, and tasar. There are many books, some quite good, published by Indian authors on these types of silk, but none of those matches what Selk has been able to accomplish. The author has made many trips to India over many years, gathering information, textiles, photographs and personal stories. I spent a month in India a few years ago studying these same topics in Upper Assam, Lower Assam, Meghalaya, and ending with several days in Ranchi where I visited the Tasar Research & Training Institute, so I consider myself to be well-qualified to evaluate this book. The details that Selk recorded and then compiled in her book are impressive, providing valuable insights for readers today and historians long into the future. Her writing style is pleasant to read. Selk's passion for wild silks and especially for the people who produce them (rearers, spinners, weavers, merchants, farmers) is plainly visible on every page. Her respect and love for the people she met everywhere in India is genuine and refreshing (she is never the condescending outsider) which obviously allowed her to gain a lot of trust and assistance in gathering notes and photographs. Her narratives about social justice, poverty alleviation, and her enthusiasm and respect for people and even for moths and caterpillars are commendable. The comments about the Adivasi (tribal people of India) on page 19 were very instructive for me. By promoting social justice and respect, Selk appeals to the best instincts of her readers. The book is a goldmine for people like me who have also had a long-term interest in wild silks of the world. I learned a lot! The text, photos, and tables provide concise explanations of how muga, eri, and tasar silks are produced. The book will have a lot of value and appeal to fibers arts enthusiasts (those who spin, weave, knit, and crochet), entomologists like me, cultural anthropologists, economists, and historians. It is a great reference book and a pleasure to read; few books are both! I did not find any typos or misspellings, so the copy editor of the publisher did an excellent job. I was pleased to see that all botanical names of the plants and scientific names of the silkmoths were spelled correctly, in italics, with the generic names capitalized and the species names in lower case throughout the whole text, but then Persea bombycina got misspelled in the Glossary. The definitions in the Glossary of "reeled yarn" and "spun yarn" are correct, and textiles made of reeled silk and spun silk have different properties, easy for anyone to see and feel. Unfortunately, this all got undermined by the definition Selk gives on page 262 for "thigh reeling," a term that is self-contradictory. Twisting tasar silk across the thigh (or an inverted clay pot) as it is pulled from degummed cocoons is called ghicha spinning, the key word being spinning. Reeling refers to the unwinding of silk from cocoons as single continuous fibers that are very long (many meters). Reeling can indeed be done with tasar cocoons, as Selk explains in detail in her text. I highly recommend this wonderful book for libraries and individuals with no reservations! I recognized it as an instant classic when I first held a copy.

Loved the photos

At this point, I've only browsed In Search of Wild Silk. All photography is in color. Book is well made with heavy pages, good inner margins allow photocopying. Seems to be carefully boundIt is divided into regions for particular wild silk worms. Describes the biology of each worm, the care the wild worms are given, the harvesting of the cocoons, the spinning of wild silk fibers—mostly women’s work, weaving the spun yarn--mostly men’s work. Didn’t see much (anything) about dyeing the fiber or yarn. There are few pictures of finished work. I wish there had been more.Describes the economic circumstances of wild silk worm rearing to finished products—mainly cooperatives and collectives. Describes the villages where the work is done.Many pictures of the people involved.General perception: This is an ethnographic text with input from participants and those managing the enterprises.

I want to start by mentioning that I found this book via my interest in textile arts, and have appreciated it as such, but even my (admittedly entomophile) 14-year-old and socially aware 16-year-old enjoyed excerpts from it!This is a beautiful book, with gorgeous photos, clear and well-researched material and warm stories. I loved the humanity and artfulness of Karen's journey and its recording, and was amazed at the scope and depth of it. This is one of those rare texts that presents relevant facts about a niche topic in a clear and concise manner and somehow still retains a light touch towards the subject, thus combining rigor and warmth. Learning in-depth about the various kinds of silks, the environment and life cycles of the insects that produce them, and the lives of the people who raise and work with them, was quite fascinating. Being born in and having grown up in India, I have some - albeit increasingly distant - familiarity with the mindsets and social structures of the country. I was fascinated by the deep-dive into some of the challenges, much empowerment, and the continually evolving social landscape around the wild silk agriculture, industry, and practices. I want to thank Karen for what is clearly a labor of love. I know many must be grateful for this warm, heartfelt, and much-needed beam of light exploring this ancient and relevant practice, while illuminating the communities that foster it and are fostered *by* it.

The author has compiled her years and many trips to India to meet and understand the raising of Wild Silk by the Adivasi people of India. The book is a guide to her trips and learnings with pictures and journal entries to captivate the reader.

I am delighted with this book. So informative. Lovely to dip into and read / re-read .

This is a wonderful book. Karen has covered the topic of wild silk so well. I haven't seen anything like it before. I have three other books on silk, but nothing that relates to this topic. Good quality paper gives good quality photos. Congratulations Karen.

Not quite what I expected