Annotated Bibliography:
Adrosko, Rita. Natural Dyes and Home Dyeing. Dover
Publications: New York, 1971.
Focuses on American dyeing history so it is helpful in finding dye
plants that grow native in the United States. Keep in mind that not all
these plants were available in Europe.
Blumenthal, Betsy and Kathryn Kreider (Contributor). Hands on Dyeing. September 1988.
Buchanan, Rita. A Dyer's Garden. Interweave Press:
Loveland, Colorado, 1995.
Beautiful full-color pictures of plants and their resulting dyes on
different fibers and with various mordants. Again, all plants featured
can be found or grown in Pennsylvania, but weren't necessarily available
in Europe.
Cannon, John and Gretel Dalby-Quenet (Illustrator).
Dyeplants and Dyeing. Timber Press: Portland, 1994.
Good watercolor depictions of plants done by a botanical artist;
depictions of dye colors are in approximate range, but not always true.
Great information on native origins of each plant.
Casselman, Karen Leigh. Craft of the Dyer: Colour from
Plants and Lichens. Dover Publications: New York, 1980.
Alphabetical listing of plants and the colors obtained from them. The
addition of lichens makes this book interesting also.
Dean, Jenny. Wild Color.
Beautiful color plates show small pictures of plant as well as resultant
colors. Author is from UK.
Delamare, Francois and Bernard Guineau. Colors: The
Story of Dyes and Pigments. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers: New
York, 2000.
History, not how-to. Excellent overview of dyes and paints history
worldwide.
Liles, J.M. The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing:
Traditional Recipes for Modern Use. University of Tennessee Press:
Knoxville, 1990.
Best book for learning historical dyeing methods. Includes methods and
dyes from various times and places with a slight bias towards Colonial
America. Lots of good advice and detailed recipes.
Van Stralen, Trudy. Indigo Madder & Marigold : A
Portfolio of Colors from Natural Dyes.
Great basic book for modern natural dyeing how-to's. Focus on North
America, all recipes tested repeatedly by author.
Sandberg, Gosta et al. The Red Dyes : Cochineal,
Madder, and Murex Purple : A World Tour of Textile Techniques. March
1997
Incredible detail on the histories of the specified "red" dyes
from early times through modern and around the world.