Literature on Table Linen, Linen and Table Culture
Anyone exploring table linen in greater depth soon encounters a wide range of subjects: the history of table culture, textile materials and manufacturing processes, napkins and tablecloths, as well as the traditional transformation of flax into linen.
On this page, we have compiled a curated selection of books, specialist literature and further sources. It includes both established older works and more recent publications and is intended as a starting point for further reading on these subjects.
The literature is organised by topic so that publications on table culture, table linen, textile science, flax and linen can be found more easily. The selection is not intended to be a complete bibliography.
Many of the publications listed here explore subjects that we summarise in a more accessible and practical form in our own guides.
Table culture, food and the set table
Table culture encompasses far more than crockery and cutlery. Eating habits, table manners, serving traditions, decoration and the design of the table have changed considerably over the centuries. The following books and articles explore these developments from cultural-historical and design perspectives.
Morel, Andreas: Der gedeckte Tisch. Zur Geschichte der Tafelkultur, Zürich 2001.
A particularly useful source on the historical development of the set table and therefore a good complement to our guide to the history of table culture.
Stummerer, Sonja; Hablesreiter, Martin: wie wir essen. Tischkultur, Geschichte, Design, Klima, Köln 2021.
One of the more recent publications in our selection, combining table culture with history, design and contemporary questions surrounding the way we eat.
Grossmann, Lydia: Europäische Esskultur im Wandel, 2008.
A further source on changing European eating habits and the table culture associated with them.
Müller, Klaus E.: Kleine Geschichte des Essens und Trinkens, 2009.
A cultural-historical introduction for readers who wish to place the set table within the broader history of eating and drinking.
Paczensky, Gert von: Kulturgeschichte des Essens und Trinkens, 1999.
Schürmann, Thomas: Tisch- und Grußsitten im Zivilisationsprozeß, Münster 1994.
Particularly useful for understanding the historical development of table rules, manners and social conventions.
Schultz, Uwe (Hg.): Speisen, Schlemmen, Fasten. Eine Kulturgeschichte des Essens, Frankfurt a. M. / Leipzig 1993.
Everlegh, Tessa: Der schöne Tisch. Traumhafte Dekorationen für viele Anlässe in Schritt-für-Schritt-Anleitungen, München 1999.
A more practical and design-oriented publication within an otherwise largely historical selection.
Tapper, Hans: Der schön gedeckte Tisch, Niedernhausen 1986.
Düwel, Klaus: „Über Nahrungsgewohnheiten und Tischzuchten des Mittelalters“, in: Umwelt in der Geschichte: Beiträge zur Umweltgeschichte, Göttingen 1989, S. 129–149.
Particularly interesting for the development of eating habits and table manners during the Middle Ages.
Readers who prefer an introduction before turning to specialist literature can follow the development from antiquity through the Middle Ages and modern period to today's table culture in our guide.
Table linen, napkins and textile interiors
Tablecloths and napkins are not merely functional objects; they are also part of domestic, dining and everyday culture. The following publications focus directly on linen, table linen, napkins and textile interior design.
Berning, Gertrud: Altes Leinen – Der stille Luxus, 2016.
A useful publication for readers interested in historic household linen and the special appreciation traditionally associated with old textiles.
Buurman, Dieter C.: Lexikon der textilen Raumgestaltung, 1996.
A reference work placing textile materials and design within the wider context of interior textiles.
Enzinger, Katharina: „Die Bestimmung der Serviette ist die, nicht geschont zu werden!“, in: Lothar Kolmer (Hg.), „Finger fertig“: Eine Kulturgeschichte der Serviette, Münster 2008, S. 15–48.
The article focuses directly on an important element of the set table: the cloth napkin and its cultural role.
Jaacks, Gisela: „Wenn blendend weiss die Wäsche lacht.“ Zur Geschichte der Tischwäsche und Haushaltstextilien, in: Beruf der Jungfrau. Henriette Davidis und das bürgerliche Frauenverständnis im 19. Jahrhundert, Oberhausen 1988, S. 177–195.
Particularly relevant to the historical importance of white table and household linen in the bourgeois home.
Diers, Hedwig: Die schönsten Leinen-Stickereien, Münster 1993.
A supplementary source on linen as a material for decorative and carefully crafted textile work.
If your main interest is not historical table linen but choosing the right material for present-day use, our material guide compares the most important options.
Textile science, woven fabrics and manufacturing processes
To understand terms such as fibre, yarn, weave, fabric and finishing in greater detail, specialist textile literature can be particularly useful. Some of the following publications are older, but remain valuable as reference works and introductions to textile terminology.
Gries, Thomas; Veit, Dieter; Wulfhorst, Burkhard: Textile Fertigungsverfahren: Eine Einführung, 3. überarbeitete Auflage, München 2018.
A comparatively recent introduction to the textile production chain, from yarn production and fabric formation through to further processing.
Hofer, Alfons: Stoffe 2: Bindung, Gewebemusterung, Veredlung, Schriftenreihe der Textilwirtschaft, 5. Auflage, Frankfurt a. M. 1983.
Particularly relevant to weave structures, woven patterning and textile finishing.
Kießling, Alois; Matthes, Max: Textil-Fachwörterbuch, 1993.
A reference work covering textile terminology and technical expressions.
Lösch, Josef: Fachwörterbuch Textil. Lexikon für die gesamte Textilindustrie, Frankfurt a. M. 1975.
An extensive older reference work covering terminology from many areas of the textile industry.
Völker, Ursula; Brückner, Katrin: Von der Faser zum Stoff. Textile Werkstoff- und Warenkunde, 35. aktualisierte Auflage, Hamburg 2014.
The book follows the route from textile raw materials to finished fabrics and therefore complements our material and manufacturing guides particularly well.
The most important terms relevant when choosing and caring for table linen are explained more concisely in our own glossary.
Westphalian textile history and the linen trade
As a company based in Münster, regional textile history is also of particular interest to us. Flax, linen, domestic weaving and later industrial textile production played an important role in several parts of Westphalia.
Hauff, Thomas: Die Textilindustrie zwischen Schrumpfung und Standortsicherung. Weltwirtschaftliche Anpassungszwänge, unternehmerische Handlungsstrategien und regionalökonomische Restrukturierungsprozesse in der Textilindustrie des Westmünsterlandes, Dortmund 1995.
An economic and regional historical study of more recent textile industry developments in western Münsterland.
Teuteberg, Hans-Jürgen (Hg.): Die westmünsterländische Textilindustrie und ihre Unternehmer, Rheinisch-Westfälische Wirtschaftsbiographien, Band 16, Münster 1996.
The volume examines the development of the regional textile industry and the entrepreneurs behind it.
Schoneweg, Eduard: Das Leinengewerbe in der Grafschaft Ravensberg. Ein Beitrag zur niederdeutschen Volks- und Altertumskunde. Nach der Ausgabe von 1923 ergänzt um einen Beitrag von Heinz Potthoff: Das Ravensbergische Leinengewerbe im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert und ein Verzeichnis der mundartlichen Fachausdrücke, herausgegeben von Ernst Helmut Segschneider, Osnabrück 1985.
A particularly useful source on historical linen production in one of Westphalia's important linen-producing regions.
An older version of our literature list incorrectly referred to “Grafschaft Ravensburg” in the title of Schoneweg's work. The correct name is Grafschaft Ravensberg.
Literature on flax, linen, spinning and weaving
How does a flax plant become a linen fabric? The following publications explore flax cultivation, fibre extraction, spinning, weaving, traditions and the wider cultural significance of linen in greater depth.
Fasse, Marianne: Rund um Flachs und Leinen. Sprichwörter und Redensarten, Volksglaube und Brauchtum, Gedichte, Lieder und Märchen aus der Spinnstube, Münster 2003.
The book demonstrates how closely flax cultivation and linen production were once connected with everyday life, language and traditional customs.
Fasse, Marianne: Von Flachs und Leinen in alter Zeit. Berichte und Bilder, Dokumente und Überlieferungen, Rheda-Wiedenbrück 1989.
A historical complement to the traditional processing of flax and the role linen once played in everyday life.
Fegert, Friedemann: Spinnen und Weben, das ist ihr Leben. Eine Kulturgeschichte vom Flachs zum Leinen, Edition Lichtland, 2023.
This richly illustrated publication combines flax cultivation, yarn production, spinning and weaving with the cultural history of linen production and follows its development into the present day.
Camilleri, Alain / Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp (eds.): Flax-Linen, Fibre of Civilisation(s), Actes Sud / Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp, 2023.
This international collaborative work brings together archaeology, history, agriculture, fibre processing, design and modern applications of flax and linen.
Growing, pulling, retting, breaking, scutching, hackling, spinning and weaving are also explained step by step in our guide to linen production.
Museums, research and further specialist information
In addition to books and academic articles, museums, research institutions and textile organisations provide useful specialist information. The following websites are particularly helpful for further research.
The Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe publishes historical articles and sources on everyday culture, flax, linen and regional textile history.
Visit the LWL portal →The European industry organisation provides information on fibre flax, cultivation, processing, the textile industry and modern applications of linen.
Visit the Alliance →Information on modern textile research, textile materials, manufacturing processes and current research projects.
Textile research →The ULB Münster provides catalogues and research tools for further specialist literature on history, cultural studies and textile-related subjects.
Visit ULB Münster →Our guides to table linen and table culture
The publications on this page provide opportunities for in-depth reading on individual subjects. For a quicker and more practical introduction, we have also summarised the most important information in our own guides.
From antiquity through the Middle Ages and modern era to the contemporary dining table.
History of table culture →From growing flax through retting, spinning and weaving to finished table linen.
How linen is made →Compare cotton, damask, linen, half-linen and polyester by properties and intended use.
Tablecloth material guide →Terms such as damask, full-twist yarn, satin band, shrinkage, molton and mercerisation explained clearly.
Table linen glossary →A practical guide to creating a complete and well-balanced table setting.
How to set a table correctly →The books, articles and specialist sources listed here have been selected for their relevance to table linen, textiles, linen or table culture. Alongside recent publications, we have deliberately retained older works where they remain useful for historical or textile context.