Book cover of Cotton: The Fabric that Made the Modern World

Book description

Today's world textile and garment trade is valued at a staggering $425 billion. We are told that under the pressure of increasing globalisation, it is India and China that are the new world manufacturing powerhouses. However, this is not a new phenomenon: until the industrial revolution, Asia manufactured great quantities…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Cotton as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I’ll bet that you, like me, wear cotton clothes all the time. Before the eighteenth century, we could not have done so, or only on special occasions. You or I might have owned a bright calico skirt or fancy vest, but maybe not. Garments like those were expensive and hard to get, because they had to be imported from India, where they were woven and dyed by hand.

In this beautifully illustrated, prize-winning book, the Italian-British historian Giorgio Riello explains with remarkable clarity the multiple innovations from consumer choices to new technology that transformed cotton textiles from yesterday’s luxury into…

If you love Cotton...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like Cotton?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Cotton.

Browse books like Cotton

Book cover of Exquisite Slaves: Race, Clothing, and Status in Colonial Lima
Book cover of The Dress of the People: Everyday Fashion in Eighteenth-Century England
Book cover of Unravelled Dreams: Silk and the Atlantic World, 1500-1840

Share your top 3 reads of 2026!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

166

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Cotton, you might also like...

Book cover of Sexy Selfie Nation: Standing Up for Yourself in Today's Toxic, Sexist Culture

Sexy Selfie Nation by Leora Tanenbaum,

The problem is not with the actions young women take but with the toxic, sexist conditions they are responding to.

Tanenbaum found, based on six years of interviews with young people ages 14-30, that young women are navigating a culture littered with gendered dress codes, revenge porn, and sexually explicit…

Book cover of In This Together: Connecting with Your Community to Combat the Climate Crisis

In This Together by Marianne E. Krasny,

In This Together explores how we can harness our social networks to make a real impact fighting the climate crisis. Against notions of the lone environmental crusader, Marianne E. Krasny shows us the power of "network climate action"—the idea that our own ordinary acts can influence and inspire those close…

5 book lists we think you will like!