Wearing the Cloak contains nine stimulating chapters on Roman military textiles and equipment that take textile research to a new level. Hear the sounds of the Roman soldiers' clacking belts and get a view on their purchase orders with Egyptian weavers. Could armour be built of linen? Who had access to what kinds of prestigious equipment? And what garments and weapons were deposited in bogs at the edge of the Roman Empire? The authors draw upon multiple sources such as original textual and scriptural evidence, ancient works of art and iconography and archaeological records and finds. The chapters cover - as did the Roman army - a large geographical span: Egypt, the Levant, the Etruscan heartland and Northern Europe. Status, prestige and access are viewed in the light of financial and social capacities and help shed new light on the material realities of a soldier's life in the Roman world.

Costume Close-up discusses the cut, fit, and construction of antique clothing of the second half of the eighteenth century. It will enable talented artisans with advanced skills to construct authentic garments and show curators, conservators, costumers, and reenactors new ways to look at such attire.

Vol.2: Pattern manual 1580-1640. "This book trains you to be a pattern maker. You will learn the most common drafts for men and women from the years 1580-1640"--Publisher's description.

A lightly surreal story of misfortune, menace, and high-end stereo equipment in the cutthroat, capitalistic world of modern China. An NYRB Classics Original The hero of The Invisibility Cloak lives in contemporary Beijing—where everyone is doing their best to hustle up the ladder of success while shouldering an ever-growing burden of consumer goods—and he’s a loser. Well into his forties, he’s divorced (and still doting on his ex), childless, and living with his sister (her husband wants him out) in an apartment at the edge of town with a crack in the wall the wind from the north blows through while he gets by, just, by making customized old-fashioned amplifiers for the occasional rich audio-obsessive. He has contempt for his clients and contempt for himself. The only things he really likes are Beethoven and vintage speakers. Then an old friend tips him off about a special job—a little risky but just don’t ask too many questions—and can it really be that this hopeless loser wins? This provocative and seriously funny exercise in the social fantastic by the brilliantly original Ge Fei, one of China’s finest living writers, is among the most original works of fiction to come out of China in recent years. It is sure to appeal to readers of Haruki Murakami and other fabulists of contemporary irreality.

The Fourth Book in the Secrets of The Tally Series.On the newly-named continent of Ria, the Human-Escali war is about to reach its thousand year conclusion. Tekada is preparing to join the fight in retaliation for Ratuan's recent uprising, and Humanity can't possibly survive a war against the Escalis and Tekada at the same time. Since peace with the Escalis can't be negotiated, the impossible task of keeping Humanity alive falls to the those with the best record of accomplishing the impossible - Maverick and the Zhauri.With only a short window of time, the king announces their one hope of survival. A united force of Humans and Escalis might be able to fend off the foreign invaders, but Humanity would have to defeat the Escalis in mere months to stand a chance of uniting in time. The war will either conclude in a joining of the nations, or it will end as Tekada arrives and decimates Humanity.