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Indonesia bibliography

Listed below are details of a few books (from my own collection) which feature the textiles of Indonesia. Some books are solely devoted to a particular aspect of culture, including textiles, whilst others include a few pages of information within a wider study.
click for Indonesia country page also see Malaysia bibliography
click bibliographies for more country or region specific bibliographies
"Traditional Indonesian Textiles" by John Gillow, photographs by Barry Dawson published by Thames and Hudson in 1995 (first edition 1992). ISBN 0-500-27820-2. A comprehensive history of textile production in the Indonesian archipelago and a complete guide to the islands and their products - from Balinese double ikats and Javanese silks to the gold-thread brocades of Sumatra.
"Indonesian Textile Techniques" by Michael Hitchcock in the Shire Ethnography series published by Shire Publications Ltd in 1985 0-85263-769-1 Follows the production of woven textiles of Indonesia examining the harvesting and spinnning of cotton, the use of silk and metallic threads, and traditional dye techniques.
"Indonesian Textiles" by Michael Hitchcock published by the British Museum Press in association with The Centre for South-East Asian Studies, University of Hul in 1991 ISBN l 0-7141-1598-3 The author focuses on Inonesia's textiles decorated with batik and ikat as well as supplementary weft, embroidery, couching, applique and gilding. He also shows how the skills of the weavers and dyers are acquired and developed. 100 colour, 50 black & white illustrations.
"Splendid Symbols: Textiles and Tradition in Indonesia" by Mattiebelle Gittinger published by Oxford University Press in 1990 ISBN 0-19-588956-8. First published in 1979 by The Textile Museum, Washington. One of the classic references on Indonesian textiles.
"To Speak with Cloth: Studies in Indonesian Textiles" edited by Mattiebelle Gittinger published by the Museum of Cultural History, UCLA in 1989. An anthology of essays assessing textiles and their role in discrete micro-environments of Indonesia which contribute to a deeper understanding of textiles throughout the archipelago.
"Five Centuries of Indonesian Textiles: The Mary Hunt Kahlenberg Collection" Edited by Ruth Barnes and Mary Hunt Kahlenberg published by Delmonico Books, Prestel in 2010 ISBN-978-3-7913-5071-4.  See a full review of this impressive volume by Chris Buckley.
"Batik Design" by Pepin Van Roojen published byThe Pepin Press in 1994 as a revised edition (first edition 1993). ISBN 90-5496-003-5. Book traces the origins and development of the batik technique, as well as of the motifs and patterns used in designing this type of textile. An extensive and classified visual documentation is included, consisting of a large selection of high quality black and white and colour photographs of batik from some of the best private and museum collections in the world.
"Batik: Its Mystery and Meaning" by Nian S Djoemena published by Penerbit Djambatan First edition 1986. Second edition 1990. ISBN 979-428-131-X Indonesia various The book discusses the motifs and colours or colour combinations of the batik of a certain region in relation to the process, the quality of batiking, the motifs and the colours to make it possible to recognise the distinctive motifs and colours of a particular area.
"Batik Patterns" published by Agile Rabbit Editions with The Pepin Press in 1999 with a CD ISBN 90-5768-004-1. High quality images of batik for use as a graphic resource or inspiration.
"Classical Batik" by Drs. Hamzuri published by Penerbit Djambatan First edition 1981. Fourth edition 1994. ISBN 979-428-118-2. Discusses classical batik, callsic as regards the method of fabrication as well as quality of ornamentation used.
"Unity in Diversity: The Textiles of Indonesia" by M. A. Hann & G. M. Thomson published by University Gallery Leeds in 1993. ISBN 1-874331-04-9. Slim volume of mainly (helpful) text and a few black & white photos of a wide ranging selection of traditional Indonesian textile designs, including batiks, ikats and songkets.
"Indonesian Ikats from the Oda Collection" Editor ICU Hachiro Yuasa Memorial Museum, Reiko Hara, Akiko Fukuno published by International Christian University Hachiro Yuasa Museum in 1993 edition. Exhibition catalogue from exhibition of ikats in the collection of the late Hideo Oda collected during numerous research trips to India and Indonesia. Mr Oda was a weaver of silk and a researcher of fabrics. Text in Japanese and English.
"Indonesian Ikats" by Dra. Suwati Kartiwa published by Penerbit Djambatan First edition 1987, Third edition 1993. ISBN 979-428-024-0 Indonesia various A description is given of the development of ikat-weaving, the background of the communities producing it, external influences which have enriched Indonesian culture, acculturation of techniques, thread types, design systems and utilisation.
"Ikat" All text in Japanese. Ikats of the Indonesian archipelago. Fine photographs of fine ikat textiles.
"Contemporary Tie and Dye Textiles of Indonesia" by Kim Jane Saunders in the series 'The Asia Collection' published by Oxford University Press in 1997. ISBN 983-56-0021-X. Maps contemporary areas of production and markets and documents a cross-sectin of current practices and examples of tie and dye weaving in Indonesia.
"The Golden Sword: Stamford Raffles and the East" Edited by Nigel Barley published by the British Museum Press in 1999. ISBN 0-7141-2542-3. Accompanying the exhibition of the same name. The essays in the book investigate Raffles contributions to the study of Javanese court arts, his forays among the 'Hindu' Gengger Highlanders, the 'cannibal' Batak and the 'almost Western' Japanese.
"Songket-Weaving in Indonesia" by Dra. Suwati Kartiwa published by Penerbit Djambatan First edition 1986. This edition 1989. ISBN 979-428-130-1. The book aims to provide an overall picture of songket weaving whose practice is widespread throughout the Indonesian archipelago. Describes the development of songket, the background of the communities producing it, external influences which have enriched Indonesian culture, acculturation of techniques, thread types, design sytems and utilization.
"Museum Nasional" Early guide book to Museum Nasional, Jakarta
"Museum Nasional Guidebook" published by PT Indo Multi Media in 1998. Guide book to Museum Nasional in Jakarta
"Selected Batak Textiles: Techniques and Function" and "Additional Batak Cloths that Frequently enter into the Gift Exchange" by Mattiebelle Gittinger published in The Textile Museum Journal Vol IV number 2 in 1975. Much quoted articles on Batak weaving techniques including that of the extended warp of the Ragidup.
"Legacy in cloth: Batak textiles of Indonesia" by Sandra Niessen published by KITLV Press, Leiden in 2009 ISBN 978 90 6718 3512. Tthe first definitive study of the woven heritage of the Toba, Simalungun, and Karo Batak. The most complete analysis of Batak textiles ever published, it provides a record of more than 100 different design types, including archival and contemporary photographs showing how the textiles are woven and how they are used in Batak culture. It benefits from fieldwork conducted over two decades and consultation of all major European collections of Batak textiles and private collections in Indonesia.   568 pps. 900 illustrations.
"Batak Cloth and Clothing: A Dynamic Indonesian Tradition" by Sandra. A Niessen in series 'The Asia Collection' published by Oxford University Press in 1993 ISBN 967-65-3040-9. The book examines factors which inspired the Batak to wear Malay and European styles on a daily basis and to reserve the use of their hipcloths and shouldercloths for ceremonial occasions.
"Motifs of Life in Toba Batak Texts and Textiles" by Sandra. A Niessen published by Foris Publications in 1985 ISBN 90-6765-067-6. Based on Niessen's PhD dissertation. The role of textiles in Batak culture examining their role in mythology, the kinship system and local conceptions of fertility, time, and space. Pays special attention to the logic of the Toba Batak anology of woven textiles and 'textiles which do not wear out' viz women.
"Exchanging Warp in the Batak Ragidup and Bulang" by Sandra. A Niessen in The Textile Museum Journal Volumes 27 and 28 1988 and 1989 published in 1990. ISSN 0083-7407. Article on warp exchange - both extension and substitution of the Toba and Simulgan Batak following on from the Gittinger 1975 article and based on Niessen's 1980s' research amongst Batak weavers.
"The Batak: Peoples of the Island of Sumatra" by Achim Sibeth published by Thames and Hudson in 1991. ISBN 0-500-97392-X. A record of the Batak cultural achievement - over 650 items illustrated: wood carvings, bronze objects, jewelry, textiles and weapons drawn from ethnographic museums and various private collections in Euruope.
"Between the Folds: Stories of Cloth, Lives, and Travels from Sumba" by Jill Forshee published by University of Hawai'I Press in 2001 ISBN 0-8248-2346-X. Book based on research carried out in East Sumba in 1990, 91 and 93-94. 'A wide-ranging ethnographic journey, contoured by people who create and trade a kind of cloth through which they interweave and convolute the traditonal and the modern, blurring such definitions'.
"Iban or sea Dayak fabrics and their patterns" by A.C. Haddon & L.E. Start. Reprint in 1982 published by Ruth Blean ISBN 0-903585-11-1 of classic 1936 monography on the fabrics of the Iban of Sarawak focused on those in the Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Profusely illustrated with the original line drawings and black & white photos.
"Indonesian weaving between heaven and earth: Religious implications of bird motifs on textiles" by Itie van Hout in the Culture, History and Anthropology series Bulletin 345 published by the Royal Tropical Institute - Amsterdam ISBN 90-6832-833-6 Shows textiles from three ethnic groups living in Indonsia: the Iban of Borneo (today Sarawk and Kalimantan), the inhabitants of eastern Sumba, and the Atoni on Timor. Some colour photos.
"Traditional Textiles of West Timor: Regional Variations in Historical Perspective" by Ruth Marie Yeager and Mark Ivan Jacobson published by Batuan Biru Productions in 1997 ISBN 0-9635296-1-7 This edition is based on black & white photocopied photos and text. Reference work on the identifcation and classification of Timorese textiles.
"Antakesuma Embroidery in the Minangkabau Adat" by Sativa Sutan Aswar published by Penerbit Djambatan in 1999. ISBN 979-428-148-4. The artistyr of creating embroidery work is specifically a 'Minang tradition'. The Minangkabau embroidery has its own characteristic that differentiates embroidery or handiwork from other regions in Indonesia. One of its characteristics that makes Minang embroidery so unique, is the variation of patterns of the needlework which is a blend from other cultures long ago when many merchants came into its port.
"Fabled Cloths of Minangkabau" by Anne and John Summerfield published by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in 1991 ISBN 0-89951-082-5. Catalogue to accompany the exhibition at the Santa Barbara Museum.
"Walk in Splendour: Ceremonial Dress and the Minangkabau" Edited by Anne and John Summerfield in the Cultural History Textile Series No 4 published by the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History in 1999 ISBN 0-930741-73-0 Magnificent volume to accompany the exhibition of the same name. A comprehensive introduction to the people and culture of the Minangkabau. Full of fine photos.
"Ikats of Savu: Women Weaving History in Eastern Indonesia" by Genevieve Duggan published by White Lotus 2001 ISBN 974-7534-67-3 Explores the links between mythology and weavings of Savu and examines how textiles have formed the fabric of Savunese society through time. Includes some colour photos of Savunese traditional textiles.
"Woven Blossoms, Seeds of History: Ikats of Savu as Time Markers" article by Genevieve Duggan published in Hali Issue 134 May-June 2004
"Islands and Ancestors: Indigenous Styles of Southeast Asia" edited by Douglas Newton and Jean paul Barbier, published by Prestel in 1988 ISBN 3-7913-0899-8 Essays on the art of the islands of southeast Asia - Taiwan, Indonesia, Borneo, Philippines with mainly black & white photos but a few colour. Published in conjunction with a two-part exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and drawing upon the extensive collection of the Barbier-Mueller Museum in Geneva.
"Sari to Sarong: Five hundred years of Indian and Indonesian textile exchange" by Robyn Maxwell published by the National Gallery of Australia in 2003 ISBN 0-642-54113-2 The book to accompany the exhibition of the same name and based on the extensive collection in the National Gallery of Australia. Fine photographs
"Woven Cargoes: Indian Textiles in the East" by John Guy published by Thames and Hudson in 1998 ISBN 0-500-01863-4 Fascinating volume on the trade in Indian textiles to Southeast and East Asia with excellent black & white and colour photos.
"Through the Thread of Time: Southeast Asian Textiles. The James H W Thompson Foundation Symposium Papers" Edited by Jane Puranananda, published by River Books in 2004 ISBN 974-8225-76-3. Papers on textiles from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam from the 1999 textile symposium.
"Textiles of Asia: A Common Heritage" Edited by Songsak Prangwatthanakun, published in 1993 by the Office of the National Culture Commission, Ministry of Education and Center for the Promotion of Arts and Culture, Chiang Mai University. Revised edition of collected papers from the 1992 workshop-seminar of the same name. A range of interesting papers on various elements of textiles from countries across Asia (Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Philippines.)Textiles of Asia: A Common Heritage Edited by Songsak Prangwatthanakun Office of the National Culture Commission, Ministry of Education and Center for the Promotion of Arts and Culture, Chiang Mai University various various August 1993 edition. Revised edition of collected papers from the 1992 workshop-seminar of the same name. A range of interesting papers on various elements of textiles from countries across Asia.
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"The Asian Civilisations Museum A-Z Guide to its collections" published by the Asia Civilisations Museum in 2003 ISBN 981-4068-67-5
"Handwoven Textiles of South-east Asia" by Sylvia Fraser-Lu published by Oxford University Press 1988. ISBN 0-19-588954-1. Covers Thailand, Laos, Kampuchea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, Indonesia and with some excellent pages on weaving in Burma.
"Textiles of Southeast Asia: Tradition, Trade and Transformation" by Robyn Maxwell published by Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd in 2003. ISBN 0-7946-0104-9. This is a reprinted edition of the book below with new colour plates, a corrected text, and a new foreword by Mattiebelle Gittinger. There is no doubt that the switch to colour of the majority of the plates makes a huge difference to this excellent major reference work.
"Textiles of Southeast Asia: Tradition, Trade and Transformation" by Robyn Maxwell published by Oxford University Press, Australian National Gallery in 1990 and reprinted in 1994 ISBN 967-65-3060 3. Major reference work on the textiles of Southeast Asia. Central focus is the interplay between indigenous Southeast Asian traditions and the external cultural forces that have had a crucial part of the historical development and changing nature of the region's textile traditions. Needs careful (but rewarding) study as textiles from particular groups or areas appear throughout the volume illustrating different themes.
"Textiles of Southeast Asia: An Annotated & Illustrated Bibliography" by Michael C. Howard published by White Lotus Press1994. ISBN 974-8496-13-9 In depth compilation of the literature in the field. Small number of colour plates of textiles including a few from Laos. Almost 50 pages of detailed references to literature on textiles in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.
"The Art of Asian Costume" published by University of Hawaii Art Gallery University of Hawaii in 1989. Exhibition with apparel from 20 Asian countries from the Asian Costume Collection of the Department of Human Resources at the University of Hawaii.
click bibliographies for more country or region specific bibliographies
click for Indonesia country page
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this page last updated 6 January, 2011