From colorful threads found on the floor of an ancient Georgian cave to the Indian calicoes that fueled the Industrial Revolution, The Golden Thread illuminates the myriad and fascinating histories behind the cloths that came to define human civilization--the fabric, for example, that allowed mankind to shatter athletic records, and the textile technology that granted us the power to survive in space. Exploring the enduring association of textiles with "women's work," Kassia St. Clair "spins a rich social history . . . that also reflects the darker side of technology" (Rachel Newcomb, Washington Post).