This month (March 1988) sees the publication by Uta Hülsey Verlagsbuchhandlung in Wesel, West Germany, of one of the decade's most eagerly awaited carpet books. Belkis Balpinar and Udo Hirsch's important work on the carpets in Istanbul's Vakiflar Museum is a companion to their excellent <i>Flatweaves</i> volume (1982). It illustrates and analyzes a diverse group of early pile rugs whose art historical significance to the study of carpet weaving cannot be overstated. Many of these carpets have been illustrated (usually poorly) and discussed in diverse works, including <i>HALI</i>, over the years, but their publication together, as high quality full page color plates accompanied by detailed structural analyses and Ms. Balpinar's comments, prompted this feature review by <i>Hali</i>'s Consultant and Contributing Editors. They have chosen to discuss one carpet in depth, as a pointer to the overall qualities and difficulties encountered in the book. -- AATA