‘Silk: A World History’

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5/4/2024Updated: 5/21/2024

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Silk. There are few fabrics with a greater reputation for luxury or a more storied past. Produced for thousands of years, silk traveled along the Silk Road from China to Europe during Roman times. It is one of the most beautiful and strongest fibers in the world.

Aarathi Prasad tells the story of silk in “Silk: A World History.” She explains its origins, discusses its production, and shows its impact throughout history in three parts. The first discusses silk produced by moths. The second examines other sources of natural silk. The third takes the story through the late 19th century to the present, including silk’s uses and synthesis attempts to create it.

The Ancient History of Silk

The oldest forms of silk come from moths. Ms. Prasad examines the history of the silkworm, starting before its domestication 4,000 years ago. She shows how Chinese farmers harvested wild silkworm cocoons 7,500 to 5,000 years ago and wove their silk into cloth. She shows how this moth, now known as the Bombyx, was domesticated, and how an industry that eventually spread worldwide grew around it.

The Bombyx is not the only moth discussed in this section. She also examines silks produced by wild (and semi-domesticated) moths native to India and Africa. Along the way, she introduces people prominent in the study of silk and the insects that produce it.

The book goes beyond moths. In the second section, Ms. Prasad reveals other historic sources of silk. The Pinna nobilis, a now nearly extinct mollusk, had been the source of “byssus” silk since at least the Roman times. The book also explains how spider silk was harvested starting in the 16th century, as well as the various attempts to create a spider silk industry from the extremely strong fabric it yields.

Finally, Ms. Prasad examines the various uses of silk beyond simple clothing. The fabric has a unique combination of strength and lightness. In fact, the Mongols used silk undergarments as armor; she explains how the first bulletproof vest was created from silk in the early 20th century. Today, it’s used in sutures and to stop bleeding. Spider silk is invaluable in making crosshairs for astronomical telescopes and gunsights. The book also presents modern attempts to create synthetic spider silk.

“Silk” is a fascinating book. It’s both a comprehensive scientific examination of the topic and an adventure story, telling as much about the explorers seeking to unravel silk’s mysteries as it does about the fabric itself.