Filled with interesting examples of quilts from throughout the British Isles, Quilt Treasures of Great Britain is a remarkable visual history of a country with a wonderful quilting tradition. The volume documents the results of the 1990-93 British Quilt Heritage Project, which examined more than 4,000 quilts and related items, "reading" them to determine their age and history. Supplemented by more than 170 color photos, the nine very informative essays (each by a different quilt historian) discuss why quilts were made in the first place; analyze the various types of patchwork patterns, applique, embellishments, and quilting motifs; explore quilts with special associations (military or bible quilts, for example); and tell the stories of some individual quilters. The result is a fascinating cultural portrait as seen through the eyes--and told through the fingers--of generations of talented quiltmakers. --Amy Handy