I’d like to start this article by thanking the Google Books Library Project and the participating libraries for making these books available online. Most of us would never have the opportunity to read these books without the ongoing efforts of this project.

The Google Books Library Project has made it easier for us to access and read books and publications that are no longer in print. Searches can be done by Author, Title or Subject. Books and publications that are considered public domain can be read online at your home computer.

To access the Google Library, go to: https://books.google.com/
You do not need to sign in or create an account to read the books.
At the Google books prompt – type what you are searching for and click on "search books".
To narrow your search to books that can be read online, click on “Public Domain only” or “Full View only”. You will see these options located at the left hand side of your screen.

I did a search for “Oriental Rugs”, and the search came back with 41 pages of books and publications related to “Oriental Rugs”. Paging through the 41 pages of search results, I found the following books that looked interesting to me. I have not read these, but plan to put these on my list of books to read.

Oriental Rugs
Written by John Kimberly Mumford
Copyright 1900, 1902 by Charles Scribner’s Sons
278 pages

The Oriental Rug Book
Written by Mary Churchill Ripley
Copyright 1904 by Frederick A. Stokes Company
310 pages
**This book has a lot of illustrations.

The Mystery of the Oriental Rug
Written by Dr. George Griffin Lewis
Copyright 1914 by J.B. Lippencott Company
103 pages

Oriental Rugs
Written by Arthur Urbane Dilley
Copyright 1909 by Arthur Urbane Dilley
80 pages

Key to Oriental Rugs
Written by Arthur Urbane Dilley
Copyright 1909 by Arthur Urbane Dilley
80 pages

How to Know Oriental Rugs
Written by Mary Beach Langton
Copyright 1904, 1920 by D. Appleton and Company
244 pages

The Oriental Rug
Written by W.D. Ellwanger
Copyright 1903 by Dodd, Mead & Company
154 pages

Oriental Rugs in the home: A Monograph
Written by the Nahigian Brothers, Exclusive Oriental Rug Importers
Copyright 1913 by the Nahigian Brothers
82 pages

Hand-loom Weaving: A Manual for School and Home.
Written by Mattie Phipps Todd of the Horace Mann School, Minneapolis, MN
With and Introduction by Alice W. Cooley, Formerly Supervisor of Primary Schools, Minneapolis, MN
Copyright 1902 by Mattie Phipps Todd
Revised, 1914
160 pages

Rugs, Oriental and Occidental, Antique and Modern
Written by Rosa Belle Holt
Copyright 1901 by A.C. McClurg and Co.
167 pages

Rugs and Carpets from the Orient
Compliments of Powers Mercantile Company
Importers of Oriental Rugs
Minneapolis, MN
Written in 1907
111 pages

Cleaning and Renovating at Home
Written by E.G. Osman
Copyright 1910 by A.C. McClurg & Co.
Copyright 1919 by W.F. Zimmerman
209 pages
*Chapter 11 discusses cleaning and renovating carpets and rugs.

This is an ongoing project, with new books being added on a regular basis. To learn more about the Google Books Library Project, go to https://books.google.com/googlebooks/library.html.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and reviews of these books or any other rugmaking related books found in the Google Library. I’ll start a discussion in the forum or feel free to send me an email.