Denim Books?

[jcesar]

Howdy--

I'm new to the world of denim...does anyone know of a good book or two about denim/jeans/the denim culture?

Thanks.

[johninger]

im not going to say it but no doubt someone will point you to a function specifically useful for new users.

Well excuse me! Excuse me...

[nairb49]

Paul T publisehd an excellent book

as johninger said in less words, search for it

nairb49

[jcesar]

I tried searching, but nothing seemed to come up...Any idea what the name of Paul T's book is?

[Egpt]

Try going to www.amazon.co.uk

they had the book under this name:

author: Mr. Paul T

name of the book: dry / raw / unwashed denim for dummies

i think it costed around 20 pounds with delivery included, i got it and it's pretty nice actually

Stand tall or don't stand at all

Edited by Egpt on Feb 28, 2006 at 07:39 AM

[juxtaposed]

authors name is paul trynka

[Paul T]

Thanks for namechecking this, people. The new edition is £8.99. US price is around $14 (less from amazon, of course). Publisher is Aurum Press.

[Fuuma]

I read the french version of: "Denim: From Cowboys to Catwalks, A Visual History of the World's Most Legendary Fabric" Paul T was one of the authors. It's a pretty interesting book and covers a lot of the bases, which is the stated goal. I'd go for that if you want something less specific than a book that only talks about dry denim.

[kapay]

I'm pretty sure I saw a Levi's History book before that came out maybe a year ago, however, if i remember correctly it was quite pricey. Sorry, that's all the 411 I have.

[pacioli]

I recently picked up the Denim Design Lab's kit, which included a book with pictures of production processes, descriptions, and history. Also tells you how to grind/sand/paint your jeans using the kit (I'm posting a review on my blog in a few days). You can buy the book separately on Amazon but it's $50 w/free ship http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0977301206/sr=8-1/qid=1141152816/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-2870295-1893548?%5Fencoding=UTF8

I also have a number of Japanese magazine/books that have great pictures of old Levis/Lee/Wranglers, new Japanese denim, and what they consider to be good US denim. Some pics of sew/wash/mill processes too. If you are near a big Japanese bookstore that can fly stuff over from JP, I can give you a list or scan you some covers. Amazon Japan is also a good resource...

Below is a list of denim related books on my Amazon wishlist:

Denim Apparel Design, Manufacture, and Finishing

by Y. Li

Not yet released.

Price: $179.95

Denim: From Cowboys to Catwalks, A History of the World's Most Legendary Fabric

by Graham Marsh

Avg customer review:

Usually ships in 24 hours

Price: $10.17

The Blue Jean

by Alice Harris

Avg customer review:

Usually ships in 24 hours

Price: $9.99

The Blue Jean Book: The Story Behind the Seams

by Tanya Lloyd Kyi

Usually ships in 24 hours

Price: $16.47

Finally, olah.com is a good web resource as it has a "denim survival guide" glossary. Supertalk is a priceless reference. And of course my blog! where I post news/thoughts related to denim. denimnews on blogspot (I won't plug so PM me or search it).

[ringring]

I'd also like to lend my recommendation for Paul T's book, Denim: A Visual History of the World's Most Legendary Fabric. Well worth the investment.

[Yet Fung]

I picked up Paul T's book in Hong Kong, a great read for such a small book, and relatively up to date. It's a good book for people just getting to know about denim, but it's definitely a keeper.

Denim Design Lab is a great book for people who wonder just how companies manufacture pre-washed/distressed jeans. It definitely helps on the creative side but as a sidenote: no matter how you 'treat' your jeans, nothing is a good substitute for natural wear. Just don't be afraid to get them dirty and you're set.

I also have a book called Vintage Denim, which I picked up used on Amazon for about $169 USD, a little pricey, but it is out of print, and does go into much further detail about old Levi's, Wranglers, and Lee's. It's great for appreciating old construction details, and I would imagine, good for inspiration into new designs. A mint copy of this book is selling for $750 so unless you're also a book fanatic, I suggest getting a semi-decent copy at a reasonable price.

I'm also waiting on the Denim Manufacturing book by Y. Li. It has been delayed time and time again. Hopefully it will be released by late March.

If you're hesistant about buying/reading any of these books, I suggest going to www.olah.com, it's a great little flash site that gives you a good basic knowledge/background into denim and it's absolutely free. It's too bad that handsblue.com closed down, because that was a great resource too.

[Serge d Nimes]

I paid $30 for my copy of Vintage Denim. It was basically the only book of its kind until a couple of years ago. It isn't worth the money for the information. I think Boon magazines from Japan are a much better resource ad they aren't even in english!

Carpe Denim! (not the jean brand silly!)

[Serge d Nimes]

Actually, I bought all the books like 6 years ago when I first got into vintage denim. There was no Superdenim back then. I think you can learn enough here to not justify spending big $ on out of print and rare books. But buy Paul T's book because it is now in print again. I have both editions!

Carpe Denim! (not the jean brand silly!)

[Guest]

Serge is probably right, I mean if you know what you're looking for, then go search it, and if you don't know what you're looking for, just wander around until you do.

Vintage Denim certainly wasn't worth the money, but sometimes neither is a pair of jeans, so I said fugghit and hoped that it had some useful info . A lot of people in the forums are really knowledgeable, you just have to know who to ask, and how to ask. Like he said, he's been into this for some time now, and he just saved you 175 bucks!

Unfortunately for me I didn't find out about superfuture until after I dropped a few hundred on books and spent a couple of days shopping in HK searching desparately for a pair of raw denim jeans. But now I don't think I'd hesitate to buy a pair of APCs or Sugarcanes online.

Happy reading.

[Guest]

Serge is probably right, I mean if you know what you're looking for, then go search it, and if you don't know what you're looking for, just wander around until you do.

Vintage Denim certainly wasn't worth the money, but sometimes neither is a pair of jeans, so I said fugghit and hoped that it had some useful info . A lot of people in the forums are really knowledgeable, you just have to know who to ask, and how to ask. Like he said, he's been into this for some time now, and he just saved you 175 bucks!

Unfortunately for me I didn't find out about superfuture until after I dropped a few hundred on books and spent a couple of days shopping in HK searching desparately for a pair of raw denim jeans. But now I don't think I'd hesitate to buy a pair of APCs or Sugarcanes online.

Happy reading.

[rnrswitch]

I believe there was a rather lengthy book that came with the straight sven special ed. I think it was called Denim: The Raw Truth... or something of the sort.

[minya]

Quote:

I believe there was a rather lengthy book that came with the straight sven special ed. I think it was called Denim: The Raw Truth... or something of the sort.

--- Original message by rnrswitch on Mar 1, 2006 02:04 PM

I think that focused mainly on the history of denim production in Sweden... since the limited Svens were produced in Sweden as well. Would be interesting but I'm not sure how broad the information would be...

[rnrswitch]

I ordered one off of ebay for like $15. It was described as being pretty long, but I never received it in the mail. I was pretty saddened, cuz I was quite interested in the info. Ahh well I got my money back though.