The Needlepoint Book: 303 Stitches with Patterns and Projects
Christensen, Jo Ippolito
Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1976
ISBN# 0-13-610980-2
If you had no one to teach you the wide variety of stitches for modern canvaswork or how to deal with patterns and materials, this would be the book for you. Little relevance to historic work, but included here for completeness. SB
Beginner

Medieval Needlepoint
Robinson, Debby
Sterling Publishing Co., New York, 1993
ISBN# 0-8069-8820-7
The designs in here are best described as “period-esque”. This is a fun book, but not a historical one. SB
Beginner

Handbook of Needlepoint Stitches
Walzer, Mary Meister
Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York,
50 of the most used stitches in canvas work are clearly diagramed and pictured. As far as I can tell all the stitches are pre-1600, but may not have been used on “canvas”. It is a good how-to book to pickup in a used book store. SB
Beginner

Florentine Needlecraft: Bargello
Tare, Phyllis
Dafran House Publishers, New York,
Contains several older patterns, which unfortunately are not identified, with very easy to read patterns – both charted and stitching patterns in addition to the pictures. SB
Beginner

Bargello: Florentine Needlepoint, Vol. 784
Boyles, Margaret
Columbia-Minerva Corp., New York, 1974
Great booklet. Clear instructions with several patterns which are traditional and date to, at least, the 17th C. SB
Beginner

Bargello: Florentine Canvas Work
Williams, Elsa S.
Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York, 1967
Good basic book for florentine work includes several early patterns which are not identified as such unfortunately. SB
Beginner

Bargello: An Explosion in Color
Boyles, Margaret
MacMillan Publishing Co., New York, 1974
Excellent book. Clear instructions. Many traditional designs dating from 17th C, although they are not identified. SB
Beginner

A Pageant of Pattern for Needlepoint Canvas with diagrams by Maggie Lane
Lantz, Sherlee
Andre Deutch, London, 1973
A book that discusses geometric patterns through the ages. Many black and white plates of geometric period patterns. Some pictures of needlework including a picture of English pulled work from the 1500’s. Book has some period stitches for both needlepoint and pulled work. CL
Beginner