Batik

The exotic textiles of Java have intrigued the outside world for the past 150 years. Batik, the legendary fiber art of painting and dyeing fabrics using a waxing process, has been influenced by cultures as diverse as the Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch, and English. Like no other book before it, Batik takes the reader on a spellbinding tour of Java, revealing batik's history, motifs, and methods of production.

The exotic textiles of Java have intrigued the outside world for the past 150 years. Batik, the legendary fiber art of painting and dyeing fabrics using a waxing process, has been influenced by cultures as diverse as the Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch, and English. Like no other book before it, Batik takes the reader on a spellbinding tour of Java, revealing batik's history, motifs, and methods of production.

Inger McCabe Elliott, founder and president of China Seas, Inc., the award-winning fabric design firm, was born in Norway, graduated from Cornell University, and received her M.A. in history from Radcliffe College. She has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia as a photojournalist for publications including Newsweek and The New York Times. She lives in New York City and Stonington, Connecticut, with her husband and children.