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Gilbert Maxwell, a Farmington, New Mexico trader, wrote the first book I read on Navajo weaving. Not only was he a trader, but he and his wife were avid collectors, and he was constantly searching for more information about the history of Navajo weaving.

His book, Navajo Rugs: Past, Present & Future, was published in 1963. was written in an easy-to-read style. It was more like listening to your grandfather tell you a story about this remarkable art form and the people who wove the rugs than it was about reading a technical account of the art form.

Of course, that was to be expected as Maxwell had a great affinity for the Navajo people, and he and his wife, Dorothy, loved Native arts. Dorothy donated $20,000 to the University of New Mexico to build the Maxwell Museum at the school. Over the 1960s and 1970s, the couple donated more than 800 objects to the UNM, including Dorothy's collection of more than 350 Hopi katsina dolls, Gilbert's and Dorothy's mother's collection of Navajo weavings, Native American pottery, baskets, and paintings, as well as archaeological objects from the Southwest and Central America.

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In 1984, Bill and Sande Bobb updated and released the book. They had worked for us in Durango and moved to Santa Fe to open Cristof's, a Navajo rug gallery. They purchased the rights to the book and added chapters about changes that had taken place over the two decades following the book's original publication.

The book is still relevant and fascinating to read. It is no longer in print but can be found on websites like Amazon and Abe Books. It has sold more copies than any other book on Navajo weaving and is an excellent introduction to the art form.

Why am I sending out a newsletter about this out-of-print book? Well, one of its many illustrations (on page 38) is a photograph of a weaving labeled a Ganado Red that I always liked. The red center design has extensions on each end of the weaving that look like hands reaching out. It is a unique pattern, and I had not seen a rug with that particular design for some time.

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We recently received one that is close to the Maxwell illustration. Based on the collection we got it from, it was likely woven in the 1970s. Was it an attempt to copy the weaving in the book, or was it someone familiar with the pattern? Who knows, but it is a beautiful example of a Ganado Red.

And it inspired me to reread Mr. Maxwell's book! That was a good thing!