Book excerpt: A source of inspiration for designers from William Morris to Alexander McQueen, the V&A holds over three million designs for textiles, decorations, wallpapers and prints. Now beautifully re-presented, the bestselling V&A Pattern series invites you to appreciate the work of some of the greatest names and styles in design history, highlighting interesting and imaginative works that are all too rarely seen. This pocket-sized book features 66 carefully selected patterns, and has a concise expert introduction, making it an invaluable source of inspiration for creatives-and the perfect gift for pattern-lovers. V&A: Patterns: Spitalfields Silks celebrates the unique breadth of the V&A's archives and showcases some of the most exciting pieces from the collection.