So imagine my delight in receiving a book that could probably win the prize for being more loaded with new material than any other rug book of the last decade. Not only is William Eagleton's An Introduction to Kurdish Rugs and Other Weavings crammed with hitherto unpublished information, but the author clearly emerges as the man who knows more about Kurdish rugs than anyone else on the scene. Considering his length of service in the Middle East and his wide travels in parts of Iraqi and Iranian Kurdistan usually off-limits to outsiders, it seems clear that he will not soon be challenged in this role.

The book begins with an account of the Kurdish people and their history that goes beyond the usual academic material about the Kurds, as it blends into the story many personal observations from the author's long experience among the Kurds that allows him to interpret their characteristics with great clarity. The discussion under the subheading "Kurdish Religion" is a good example of how an extremely complex issue, beset with abstract concepts and minute differences in doctrinal emphasis, can be made comprehensible to the reader.

The sections on the Kurds of Iran and Iraq have no precedent at all in current rug books, as they describe authoritatively the locations and composition of both well- known and obscure tribal groups. At times we could hope to know more about just what these people have woven, but clearly we are given the available information. Many of the groups mentioned have not been weavets or no longer weave, and the author provides some understanding as to which groups are most likely to have preserved tribal traditions uninfluenced by western markets.

There are few surprises among the illustrations of Iranian rugs, which show just the range of designs we expect to see from this area. As we might expect, almost all show designs that can easily be traced to non-Kurdish sources.

The Iraqi rugs, which we have seen previously in the market without being aware of their sources, also showed designs almost totally derivative from other areas, which opens up the old question of just how designs are communicated from one weaving area to the next. Some seem to reflect designs of Caucasian rugs (Plates 50, 51, 53, 55, and 61), while there are even examples showing motifs from 19th century Persian repeating floral patterns such as the Harshang and Herati (Plates 45, 58, and 59). There is a rug with a design obviously derived from Turkoman guls (Plate 52) and another with the kind of medallion characteristic of Fars rugs (Plate 63). Rugs with a Turkish flavor (Plates 62, 64, and 67) are not surprising under the circumstances.

But what designs are unique to the Iraqi Kurds themselves? They are no more uniquely Kurdish than the Iranian rugs. We are still left with a question as to whether there are any designs we could describe as intrinsically Kurdish. To describe certain border patterns or floral motifs as drawn in a Kurdish manner means little if these design elements are obviously derived from Persian prototypes extending no farther back than the 19th century.

The section dealing with the Kurdish rugs of Turkey makes use of the excellent Sykes material from the early 20th century, updated in terms of the author's travel in that region. The difficulty of separating rugs of Kurds, Turks, and Armenians - virtually absent from eastern Anatolia since 1915 - is recognized by the author, who notes that not all of the rugs depicted are necessarily Kurdish. This is one of the thornier problems in Anatolian attributions and is made all the more troublesome by the absence of the Armenians, who were - during the period when most of these rugs were made - the largest ethnic group in regions where the Kurds are now most numerous.

The author does not devote great attention to structure but unobtrusively provides the material necessary for making type distinctions based on structure. He discusses the variation in number of wefts and the use of offset weaving where applicable. Those interested in flatweave structure may find less information than they would like here.

I was slightly disappointed to find no speculations around earlier generations of Kurdish rugs, although in fairness to the author this is a hazardous area where none of his field work would have been to much avail. There are many who believe that a number of large rugs in classic Persian designs, including a group of garden carpets, were woven by Kurds during the 18th or even as early as the l7th century. I have disputed with Charles Ellis on several occasions whether a group of large, early carpets with Persian jufti knots might be Kurdish. Perhaps the author was wise to avoid this kind of quicksand.

There are 124 color plates, and the quality of reproduction varies. I would anticipate that there will be some criticism here, as the colors at times do not measure up to the best current international standard. Actually color reproduction of rugs has progressed to the point where the plates often look better than the rugs themselves, and the illustrations here at least look to me like real, if unglamorous, rugs. This may also elicit criticism based on the idea that rugs depicted in books should be the masterpieces of the art. Many of these look downright dull, which is simply the price we must pay when specific types are illustrated as examples. I feel confident the author knew what he was doing here, as he notes, for example, that he omitted plates of well-known Senneh types because they were so common in other books. "Here it is much more valuable to depict rugs specifically attributable to Kurdish subtribes, such as the Girdi or Herki groups, even if the rugs themselves are not necessarily wonderful. The information must take highest priority.

Perhaps my last area of appreciation relates to the author's willingness to concede his uncertainties when he is not certain about particular areas. Thus the vague collector's label of "Northwest Persian Kurd" is still not banished from our vocabulary. The exact distinction between the Caucasian and Kurdish labels remains pleasantly inexact, as there still seems to be no coherent way of drawing a line.

I would have welcomed more information about Kurdish groups around Veramin. Some years ago I encountered in that vicinity remnants of a Pazeki Kurdish tribe, probably the Pazukis mentioned by Eagleton. At the time they were described to me as the weavers of a particularly fine type of Mina Khani, later examples of which were woven on a cotton foundation. I also would have hoped for more information about the Kurds who produce the Baluchi-type rugs of Khurasan, which differ from their prototypes in being symmetrically knotted.

Yet any criticisms of what the book does not contain could be little more than quibbling. There is certainly more new information here than we can absorb without careful study, and one immediately has the feeling that this is well researched, soundly considered, and utterly reliable material. The ratio of fact to speculation is impressive enough to place this work firmly within the category of scholarship. Altogether this requires congratulations to the author and a space on the bookshelf of anyone interested in tribal rugs. This is a grand accomplishment.

An Introduction to Kurdish Rugs and Other Weavings by William Eagleton was published in 1987 by Scorpion Publishing, Ltd., London, and is distributed in the U.S. by Intelink Books, Brooklyn, New York. Its cost is $49.95.