Criteria for Buying Rugs & Carpets

Reading up on the Subject

If you are actively seeking to purchase a rug or if you have a serious interest in rugs, it is advisable to look into the available literature. Rug aficionados may wish to learn about the history and typology of rugs. There are various books on this subject currently available. Those with a serious interest in collecting may also wish to follow auction catalogs as a guide to market value and availability, or to attend auction viewings to develop a firsthand knowledge to fine rugs. For those who are new to the subject there are various guides to rug buying, as well as style or pattern guides or carpet identifiers.

See especially:

            Lee Allane, Oriental Rugs: A Buyer's Guide, Thames and Hudson, 1998.

            Ian Bennett, Oriental Carpet Identifier, Book Sales, 1986.

Murray L. Eiland Jr. and Murray Eiland III, Oriental Carpets. A Complete Guide, Bullfinch, 1998.

            James Opie, Tribal Rugs: A Complete Guide to Nomadic and Village Carpets, Bullfinch, 1998.