I was excited to find a copy of this book to read more about early patchwork and quilting in America. Unfortunately, this volume is more of a broad overview of our American quilting history from examples in museums. Most of the photos are in black and white, and some of the details shots are blurry and out of focus. Only a few of the quilts are shown in full color. Each section of the book does include a bit of text, but not the detailed history I was hoping for. (Like a history of the most common block designs, for example - none of that in this book.) An okay book if you are interested in seeing some early examples of quilts, but since most photos are black and white you'll only get an idea of the patterns used.