Peter F. Stone became fascinated with rug structure and began collecting rugs in 1975. Later, he came to appreciate the artistic and ethnographic aspects of oriental rugs. While serving as president of the Chicago Oriental Rug Society, he began to restore rugs in his collection. He learned oriental rug repair then used his professional skills as an instructional designer to write his first book, Oriental Rug Repair. Other books followed including Rugs of the Caucasus, The Oriental Rug Lexicon, and Tribal & Village Rugs.

The terminology used for oriental rugs is not systematic. In fact, it is extraordinarily confusing. Stone wrote this book to help collectors, trades people, students, researchers, and scholars navigate this terminology maze. There is a growing body of research in rug attribution, technical structures, ethnography, and history. By organizing this information into alphabetical entries, Stone has greatly increased its usefulness for those seeking information about specific rug traditions.