The combination of a chemist and a conservator provides the perfect authorial team. It ensures a unique dual function of the text which provides textile conservators with vital chemical knowledge and gives scientists an understanding of textile conservation necessary to direct their research. The many practical examples and case studies illustrate the utility of the relatively large chemical introduction and the essential chemical information which is included. The case studies, many illustrated in colour, range from the treatment of the Ghandis' clothes, high-altitude flying suits and a Mary Quant raincoat, to the Hungarian Coronation Mantle. *Comprehensive coverage of the subject by a chemist and a conservator *Illustrated with many practical examples and case studies *Provides textile conservators with necessary chemical knowledge