I found this book to exceed all of my expectations, which, given the topic were pretty high. Not that I had a great interest in shoes (before I read this book), but I was very curious to find out the extent of this book's scope. The book starts of discussing the kinesthesiology of feet and what a shoe must do (in other words, why shoes are important). It then goes on a long description of how shoes have changed over time. And the last few chapters describe specialized shoes, superstitions about shoes, and then shoes looked at in a forensic manner (what information shoes can tell us about the wearer).
The cover contains nine pictures of different shoes (some of which are not obviously so, were it not for the title of the book), and this follows the theme throughout. The book is entirely illustrated by David Yue (except for a photograph on the back cover jacket of the Yue's shoes) and while there a few illustrations of general information (for example a diagram of a shoe, what the bones of the feet look like in a ballet slipper and then bound as the Chinese used to do), most follow a format comparable to a field guide. There is an illustration of a kind of shoe that is discussed in the text, and the caption is what kind of shoe it is. In a way then, this book is a field guide that depicts the evolution of the shoe. The first of these illustrations shows the three basic kinds (sandal, shoe, and boot), and how they would be constructed at their most primitive (For example, a shoe is a bag, and rope is wrapped around it. A boot is simply a longer bag). Then the history of shoes is described, and when each new shoe is described (why it was developed, what makes it special), the reader can then find a picture. First is a picture of the oldest shoe known (10000 years old, from Oregon), and then a picture of an Egyptian shoe versus a Mesopotamian shoe (costume designers with an eye for accuracy and detail, this book is a gold mine!). If you are wondering, Egyptian sandals were backless and had a strap around the instep connected to a strap that went between the big and second toe. Assyrian sandals had backs, a strap around the instep, and a loop around the big toe. Keep an eye out the next time you see a movie set in the Bronze Age!
The book then describes the different shoes worn in Japan and China, and then shoes in Greece and Rome. Some are further illustrated so that one can see how they were constructed (If you ever wondered what those strappy things are Roman legionnaries are wearing on their feet, you will understand them so clearly that you will want to go make some on your own!). The book answers some questions (Q: where do galoshes come from and why are they called that? A: "Gaulish Shoes"), and raises plenty more with the reader.
The book focuses on a few themes (trade in facillitating the flow of ideas, technology, and the role of fashion and social pressures on form, often to a ludicrous degree. You will understand why shoes were so long and pointy in the Middle Ages, and why that went out of style (it was outlawed for all except nobility) and you will be able to make reasonable guesses about what happens next (Long shoes were outlawed, so in the Renaissance, shoes got really wide instead). Then the book discusses the 17th, 18, 19th, and 20th centuries in relation to footware. You will know the difference between a cobbler and a cordwainer. You will know what destroyed hand-crafted shoe-making (The Civil War and World War I). You will know where the rubber shoe was invented (the Amazon jungle) and the original use for platform shoes (to keep butcher's feet above the blood). When you finish this book, I predict you will go to your front door, pick up your shoe, and literally look at it in a different way. You will seek clues about what imperfections your feet have, and you will try to identify what kind of shoe it is and where it or its predominate features were invented.
The book has an extensive bibliography and index. The reader will flip to the diagram of a shoe often to make up for the lack of a glossary. There were unfortunately a few terms that were not adquately defined and leave the reader guessing. Likewise, while the salient distinguishing features of most kinds of shoes are clearly stated, and context goes a long way in the book, there are few few points were the reader may have to scratch his or her head and not quite know what the difference is between a loafer and an oxford, for example.
This book serves as a survey of history. Someone with a minimum of geographic and historical knowledge, with just a bit of diligence, could read this book and come across as having a passing knowledge of history (from the Western perspective). As such, this book could truly accompany a history class to serve as a kind of guide. I would probably not recommend it as such though, because of the narrow scope, but reading this book really does make you look at history in a visceral and personal way. There are times when you get the sensation that you can actually picture what it must have been be like to lace up your sandals for a trip to the forum. I suppose they call it seeing the world from someone else's shoes. As such, I might not recommend this as part of an organized assignment, but I certainly would as a contribution to a class library, and for a student with an interest in fashion, this book's value could be inestimable. ( )