The book covers the most important events in the history of textile technology from the emergence of textile production until the middle of the 19th century, when an industrial revolution ended in most developed countries and modern types of textile machines were formed. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between the development of technology, economics and politics, as well as the conditions in which the authors of the most important inventions worked in the described field. The book contains illustrations, many of which are published in Russia for the first time.