My book Chasing Rainbows: Collecting American Indian Trade & Camp Blankets was published in 2002 and is considered the Bible on the subject. It is now out of print. There are very few perfect copies left and I stock them - almost all Amazon copies are damaged. I do urge you to read the Amazon reviews - all five stars including one from Mr. Bob Redford of Sundance, Utah perhaps better known to you as Robert Redford.

And I received this letter:

Dear Barry,

Thank you for your kind letter and the copy of your book Chasing Rainbows. I have had a chance to look through it, and I found it to be beautiful. It was inspiring to see such an amazing array of color and design in one book. I appreciate that you incorporated some of my collection in your work.

Sincerely,
Ralph Lauren                 
 
Published by Bulfinch Press, the most prestigious division of Time/Warner Books, CR features in-depth histories of all the blanket-producing companies in a very large 11.8 x 9.6 inch coffee table size format. The publisher spared no expense - it's gorgeous if I do say so myself. 304 pages. 400 world-class photos by Gary Diamond, 320 in blazing color. All the labels from all the companies are shown with the dates of their use. Catalog pages from all the major companies are included. It's the ONLY book to show both wool trade blankets AND cotton camp blankets. Superb quality pictures of the finest blankets by Pendleton, Beacon, Capps, Oregon City, Racine and all the others.

Many people, especially my mother, claim it's the best and most entertaining collector book they've read in any field. I assure you my mother is never wrong.

   

I offer Chasing Rainbows at $50 postpaid and will inscribe and/or sign your copy. I pay postage and ship media mail insured along with a delivery confirmation form and will e-mail you a tracking number. I do not pay postage for non-U.S. buyers, but will gladly ship internationally.

CHAPTERS

Wherein We Begin To Weave Our Tale

The Making of a Pendleton Indian Blanket

Trade Blanket Design Classifications

J. Capps and Sons

Pendleton Woolen Mills

Oregon City Woolen Mills

Buell Manufacturing Company

Racine Woolen Mills and Shuler and Benninghofen

Knight Woolen Mills

Cotton Blankets

Beacon Manufacturing Company

Esmond Mills

Deep in the Heart of Textiles

Labels and Cold Hard Facts

Collecting Indian Blankets: Its Symptoms and Treatment

Loving Care and Non-Repair

Index

ABOUT BARRY FRIEDMAN (ALL OF THEM)

 

     In a previous life I was a Hollywood television comedy writer and received six Emmy nominations (hmm...impressive!) and won a Cable Ace (frankly, even I don't remember or care what that award is). I wrote a nationally syndicated newspaper column for six years and hosted a radio program for several years. Stories (many of them true) about me have appeared in hundreds of publications ranging from USA Today and the Los Angeles Times to the Antique Trader and I've been profiled on televison programs such as "Good Morning America".  For those of you who are Seinfeld fans I hope you'll enjoy my script posted at http://www.handfuloftuna.com

    I have written stand-up material for many dead comedians and almost every comedian alive EXCEPT the Tulsa, Oklahoma based performing comic/author of a book about life on the comedy club trail named...that's right...Barry Friedman. Over the years he has often been confused for me and I for him. We've exchanged e-mails, but have never met and so I'm not positive I'm funnier than him. He has, however, graciously conceded I know a great deal more about Indian blankets.

    I am also not the the prominent New York City antique dealer Barry Friedman nor the Beverly Hills attorney specializing in estate planning or the North Georgia State professor or the dozens of other gentlemen whose name I so humbly share. While I'm sure each is an absolutely topnotch example of a Barry Friedman I must warn you that if you're buying Indian blankets from any of them you do so at immense risk. 

 

    To clear up yet another case of mistaken identity, my late father, Milton Friedman, was not the the world authority on economics of the same name.

 

   I attended Arizona State University somewhat sporadically many, many years ago and reside in Phoenix, Arizona or, as it's known in the summer...The Portal To Hell.  

MY BAD

     If it's true that confession is good for the soul I should be more soulful than Aretha Franklin after admitting to the following error.

    Much to the chagrin of many astute readers of my book and the delight of certain fiendish parties at Pendleton Woolen Mills (and by no means am I referring to anyone named Bob Christnacht, Pendleton's Blanket/Home Division Manager), I didn't catch two hopelessly wrong captions regarding Pendleton's most famous pattern...the Chief Joseph.

      So if the class will now turn to page 55 of my book you will find the blanket on the top right identified as the Chief Joseph pattern - actually it is the Harding pattern. On page 129 the same blanket is called the Chief Joseph - again it is the Harding.  On page 120 on the right and on page 203 is the Harding pattern captioned correctly thus allowing me to claim the Guinness record for  having four pictures of the Harding pattern in the same book!

    On page 23 we have a Navajo weaver seated on her properly identified Chief Joe and while a lovely picture of the weaver it is not so flattering a portrait of the pattern    

    Below, my friends, at long last, is the CHIEF JOSEPH in all it's multi-colored glory.

And below is the HARDING pattern. Compare and contrast!