The Turban

Delightful: a work full of insight, mischief, wisdom and, most pleasing of all, illustrations . . . [The] book traces the path of the turban into Western iconography and is a study of how this most Eastern form of headwear captured the Occidental imagination, coming to feature in art, literature, fashion, festivity and, in the 20th century, Hollywood movies. * Wall Street Journal *
Filstrup and Merrill write enjoyable prose not weighed down by theoretical baggage. With gorgeous illustrations and no-less-colourful characters, their grand tour with the turban is highly recommended. * BBC History Magazine *
Filstrup and Merrill trace the history of head-wrapped cloth, from sixth-century Bedouins protecting themselves against the desert sun to Sarah Jessica Parker donning a gold-silk wrap designed by Ralph Lauren . . . The Turban exposes a paradox. I can’t imagine ever surrendering my turban. It’s become soldered to my identity, serving as both the ultimate in-group badge and a versatile stylistic accessory: eye-catching, a bit exotic, an opportunity to add color and flair. * Manvir Singh, The New Yorker *
I'm impressed by the scope of this study, from the turban as a marker of religious affiliation to a prop for Rembrandt to a distinctive fashion for women. Headgear off to Filstrup and Merrill. * Gay Talese *
The Turban is a lively romp through the history and geography of this now ubiquitous headgear. The book offers unexpected nuggets from ancient origins in Asia to the turban's function in contemporary fashion. * Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann, Marquand Professor of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University *