12 of the best craft books out this year

As we turn the page on 2022, we're revisiting some of the most exceptional craft-focused books that came out this year. Happy reading, one and all.

Craft Britain: Why Making Matters

This book champions skilled making in the UK, from heritage crafts such as bell casting and thatching, through to innovative practices such as microbial weaving. The result: a richly textured tour of the making traditions of these isles.

By David Linley and Helen Chislett. Published by Welbeck Publishing Group, £45 hardback

Back to Japan: The Life and Art of Master Kimono Painter Kunihiko Moriguchi

When Marc Petitjean met textile artist Kunihiko Moriguchi in Kyoto, he was inspired to record his story – from a turbulent 1950s childhood, to his life’s work of making the craft of yūzen (resist dyeing) contemporary. This intimate portrait is the result.

By Marc Petitjean. Published by Penguin Random House, £20.99

The Pottery of John Ward

Despite his status as one of Britain’s most influential ceramic artists, little has been written about John Ward. This book sets out to amend that, with a detailed look at Ward’s life, work and place in the history of British studio pottery, with specially commissioned photographs of rarely seen pieces from private collections.

By Emma Crichton-Miller. Published by Lund Humphries, £35 hardback

Women’s Work: From feminine arts to feminist art

This title examines the radical shift in the Western world from viewing the applied arts as ‘lesser’ than the fine arts. It celebrates the stories of the female artists who harnessed so-called ‘women’s work’, such as embroidery and quilting, to create powerful feminist statements.

By Ferren Gipson. Published by Frances Lincoln Publishers, £25 hardback

Gli Isolani (The Islanders)

For two years, photographer Alys Tomlinson roamed Sicily, Sardinia and islands in the Venetian lagoon to capture handmade costumes worn for local festivals. The resulting images are strange and arresting in equal measure, and offer a fascinating insight into the traditions of these Italian islands.

By Alys Tomlinson. Published by Gost, £40 hardback

Janet Leach: Potter

A new biography considers the life and work of the late Janet Leach (1918-1997), written with a personal touch by her former assistant, friend and fellow potter Joanna Wason. It spans Leach’s early life in Texas, time spent in Japan and New York, and her later years at the Leach Pottery in St Ives.

By Joanna Wason. Published by the Leach Pottery, £20 hardback

Craft: Somerset Portraits and Voices

Somerset-based artist Kate Lynch visited 30 local craftspeople practising traditional trades, from the familiar (basketmakers, blacksmiths) to the rare (bee skep-coilers, bell-rope makers). In response, she created a series of documentary charcoal drawings and paintings that accompany her interviews with the artisans.

By Kate Lynch. Published by Furlong Fields Publishing, £18.99 hardback

Faith Ringgold: American People

This survey takes in six decades of work by the prolific artist, activist and children’s author Faith Ringgold, best known for her storytelling quilts that combine personal tales with politics and history. The texts featured also include contributions by fellow textile artists Diedrick Brackens and Tschabalala Self.

By Massimiliano Gioni and Gary Carrion-Murayari. Published by Phaidon, £59.95 hardback

Worn: A People’s History of Clothing

Sofi Thanhauser tells the tales of five fabrics – linen, cotton, silk, synthetics and wool – and through doing so, shines a light on the world we live in. Craft, labour and industry are all grist to this author’s mill, as she travels from Cumbria to China to discover the stories behind our clothes.

By Sofi Thanhauser. Published by Penguin Random House, £20

Bauhaus: A Graphic Novel

‘The story of the Bauhaus is short, but continues to echo around the world a century later,’ wrote Will Wiles in his review for Crafts magazine of this unusual offering. Bauhaus: A Graphic Novel tells the tale of this ever-influential design school in colourful graphic form.

By Valentina Grande (author) and Sergio Varbella (artist). Published by Prestel, £18.99 hardback

William Morris

The 125th anniversary of the Arts & Crafts movement’s pioneer William Morris is being marked by this lavish, 2.5kg tribute to his life and work, which included stained glass, wallpaper, textiles, tableware and more, all designed as an antidote to Victorian fustiness.

Edited by Anna Mason. Published by Thames & Hudson / Victoria and Albert Museum, £50

Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World

Described by Crafts’ critic Corinne Julius as ‘an enjoyable and well-stocked haberdashery of fabric facts and stories’, this tome takes a tour around the global story of textiles.

By Victoria Finlay. Published by Profile Books, £25 hardback