Sherlee Lantz is well known as the creator and author of the book TrianglePoint as well as this, her encyclopedic and huge (508 pages) book on the structure and geometry of needlepoint.

The book is subtitled: Centuries of Design, Textures, Stitches A New Exploration

I never noticed this before but the back cover has recommendations from some unusual people like: The New York Times, Leo Lerman, Romain Gary and Jules Feiffer.

From the front dust jacket" We usually associate the abstract beauties of structure and geometry with the so-called fine arts and with architecture. Mrs Lantz's fresh vivid text shows structure and geometry to be, as well, the essence of truly creative needlework on canvas" Not only dies she show them to be the essential beauty of this medium, she places them within the grasp of anyone who appreciates and will strive for them".

I hope you will forgive me for quoting from the dust jacket that came with this book originally. As you can tell from my use of the past tense this copy of A Pageant of Pattern does not have a dust jacket.

The book contains many historical pieces of needlepoint and an enormous number of needlepoint charts, beautifully done by Maggie Lane in 2 and often 3 colors.

I am told by someone who has been doing needlepoint for much longer then I have, that this book was once considered "the Bible" for needlepointers.

There are not many color pictures in the book, 2 pull out pages of them but the book credits the pictures in this book to the Richard Avedon Studio.

The book is clearly the definitive book on needlepoint stitches and the large clear graphs would be a joy to use after so many books full of small, crapped graphs.

A Pageant for Patterns for Needlepoint was published by Grosset and Dunlap in 1973. This is the 1973 printed edition of this book. It has 506 pages.

As many of you already know, this has become a rare book.

I have several copies of this book, most with dust jackets and some without.  They are all in Very Good Condition, which is unusual for a book that was (and is) this popular)