Shoes: The Complete Sourcebook

I waffled between 4 and 5 stars for this. I think Peacock could do with some slightly more accurate titles. This is a history of western European shoes, with ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and Egypt thrown in for length. Beyond those, there is nothing on even eastern Europe, let alone Asia, Africa, etc. I also suspect from his books that Peacock does not really approve of our casual age. I saw only a single tennis shoe; none of the clogs and earth shoes that were so typical of the late 1960s and early 1970s; and none of the elaborate athletic shoes. Peacock does say that he is focusing chiefly on fashionable shoes, but I think that the high-end athletic shoes qualify as designer models, even if the other don't. Given that, it's wonderful for what it does cover. Men's shoes are included. My favorite part is the ancient shoes; I have never seen such a variety illustrated. The pages have small but clear drawings of usually 7 or 8 shoes per page, with minimal labelling. More detailed labelling follows. The time length covered by each section varies; as one might expect, shorter period are covered for more recent shoes. This is not as lush as the photographic collections of shoes, but I think it's more helpful as a history, especially for older styles which may have been reconstructed from fragments. The introduction gives a brief history of the development of the shoes. There is a timeline where the shoes are reproduced as outline drawings to get a idea of the flow of change. This is followed by a concise history of designers and companies, and a bibliography. So, it doesn't have a scholarly historical text, I don't recommend it for people as a book for gaping over startling shoes, but it is a very good visual history.

You really must give thanks to the author for having given us this book. As usual it is peerless in the degree of historical accuracy and detail that his illustrations unfailingly provide. Morever, it is one of the rare books that give us as much insight into men's footwear as it does into the history of women's footwear. Of course it would have been nice to have detailed photographs of original ancient footwear or even those from a century or two ago. Sadly, many specimens have not survived at all or at often at best are in poor condition and are kept hidden from regular open exhibition at textile museums that do own them due to their fragility. In most cases the original appearances of the footwear have to be reconstructed using paintings and published period sources along with a dash of imagination. The results are illustrations that bring to life what the historic examples would have looked like to a far greater degree than pictures of old footwear delapidated beyond recognition. Granted these inevitable limitations, the splendid size and quality of the illustrations makes this a tour de force vastly superior to anything else likely to go into print for many years, if not decades, to come

The purpose of this particular purchase was research. I intend to start my own boot business. The book has a great deal of history on shoe making so, I found it interesting. The book was delivered in great condition.

I have purchased several books on shoes for reference on future projects and this was the best of all... really covered all sorts of styles with great pictures. Love it

I had searched the internet for a program I was presenting on the history of shoes. Wish I had had this book before the program. Excellent resource. Beautiful - would make a nice coffee table book.

Thank you!

Peacock's books should only be used for a very general feel of an era - if that! As all the outfits have been redrawn, the silhouettes are heavily influenced by the illustrator's time and personal eye. Books for true study and reference should use representations that are contemporary to the time period. His series of books are inaccurate and disappointing.

Purchased this book to add to my design library. Gives good information and pictures. good addition at a decent price.

O livro é lindo. É ótimo para referência.

Any student of fashion and costume should get this book. As it's title implies, it is a complete guide to footwear development through the ages. John Peacock leaves nothing out. It is informative and well researched. Excellent!

Il libro è bellissimo! La spedizione è stata più rapida del previsto.

Absolutley fabulous darling! Fashion fashion fashion! Shoes shoes shoes!! This is an amazing book in my opinion It takes you right back through the years and centuries of all the designs of shoes!!

Not what I expected, everything is too general. Not impressed with the illustrations. Gutted I bought this, there are so many other books about shoes which (in my opinion) are more comprehensive & detailed. Would not recommend this book at all.