James Boswell described the 'innocent soothing relief from melancholy' of playing draughts, and Margaret Drabble - among countless others - has found a similar solace from assembling jigsaws. In The Pattern in the Carpet she describes the history of this uniquely British form of meditation, from its earliest incarnation in dissected maps (which were used as teaching tools in the eighteenth century), to the amazing variety of cut-outs that have continued to amuse children and adults until the present. Along the way we ...
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James Boswell described the 'innocent soothing relief from melancholy' of playing draughts, and Margaret Drabble - among countless others - has found a similar solace from assembling jigsaws. In The Pattern in the Carpet she describes the history of this uniquely British form of meditation, from its earliest incarnation in dissected maps (which were used as teaching tools in the eighteenth century), to the amazing variety of cut-outs that have continued to amuse children and adults until the present. Along the way we encounter Roman mosaics; the geographical playing cards that Cardinal Mazarin commissioned for the child Louis XIV; and the game named after the transport minister Belisha Beacon. Woven through her account are intimate memories of her aunt Phyllis - her childhood visits to the house in Long Bennington on the Great North Road, their first visit to London together, the books they read and, above all, the jigsaws that they completed. The Pattern in the Carpet is an original and often very moving personal history about remembrance and growing older; about the importance of childhood play; and how we rearrange objects into new patterns to make sense of our past and ornament our present.
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Add this copy of The Pattern in the Carpet: a Personal History With to cart. $1.26, good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Houghton Mifflin.
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Add this copy of The Pattern in the Carpet: a Personal History With to cart. $2.20, very good condition, Sold by The Maryland Book Bank rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from baltimore, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Houghton Mifflin.
Add this copy of The Pattern in the Carpet: a Personal History With to cart. $2.86, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Houghton Mifflin.
Add this copy of The Pattern in the Carpet: a Personal History With to cart. $3.28, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Harper Perennial.
Add this copy of The Pattern in the Carpet: a Personal History With to cart. $3.28, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Harper Perennial.
Add this copy of The Pattern in the Carpet: a Personal History With to cart. $3.28, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Harper Perennial.
Add this copy of The Pattern in the Carpet: a Personal History With to cart. $4.46, very good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Houghton Mifflin.
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Very Good. Very Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
Add this copy of The Pattern in the Carpet: a Personal History With to cart. $4.50, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Harper Perennial.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Pattern in the Carpet: a Personal History With to cart. $4.50, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Harper Perennial.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Pattern in the Carpet: a Personal History With to cart. $5.31, good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Houghton Mifflin.
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Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included.