What better way to study history than by tracing the fabric humans developed to shape the very world we live in? From early Middle East and Egypt, via the silken dragon robes of Imperial China, to Indian calicoes and chintzes, culminating with our modern-day lab-blended fibres, Kassia St Clair’s The Golden Thread weaves together an alternative history of civilisation and human creativity.

Did you catch Kassia discussing the thinking behind the book on last week's Woman's Hour? We were interested in her and the presenter's suggestion that the textiles industry has been dominated by women since long before the industrial revolution. We'd love to hear your thoughts - are there any historic examples of the making of textiles being carried out by men too? Are you descended from a male textile worker?

For anyone who likes their history told with a needle and thread, the new book by the award-winning author of The Secret Lives of Colour is a coffee table requirement.

As featured in the new East issue of Selvedge.

The Golden Thread: How fabric changed history, by Kassia St Clair,

£20, ISBN: 9781473659032 www.hodder.co.uk