Patchwork, Quilts, Quilting 

From the inside cover flap:

This lavishly illustrated edition celebrates the beauty of antique quilts, with expert commentary on 70 masterworks of color and design gathered from museums and private collections around the world.

Depicted in stunning full-page, full-color photographs, the 70 quilts featured here represent a wide range of styles and traditions, including 18th-century quilts made with floral chintz and appliqué, Civil War-era album and commemorative quilts, and boldly patterned Amish and Mennonite quilts. Such traditional patterns as Irish Chain and Ocean Waves are highlighted, as well as notable figurative quilts of the Art Deco period.

Written by textile expert Ljiljana Baird, the book describes each quilt's origin, history, pattern, and fabric. Baird also offers a historic overview of quilt making within American and European textile traditions.

Collectors will learn how to examine fabric, stitching, and pattern for clues that will help to place and date a quilt.

Visually captivating, informative, and comprehensive, Quilts is an excellent general reference.