Where Will This Shoe Take You?: A Walk Through the History of Footwear

Lawlor, Laurie

ISBN 10: 0802784356 ISBN 13: 9780802784353

Publisher: Walker & Co, 1996

Synopsis

Complemented by photographs from historical collections, exhibits, and fashion collections, a shoe-lovers guide to the history of shoes demonstrates how shoes reflect the lives of their wearers throughout different eras.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8. Lawlor begins this exceptionally well-designed and illustrated book by walking readers down the many paths of footwear history and leading them through the byways of societies and cultures in which shoes have played a significant role. She details the importance of footgear in work, play, fashion, myth and literature, and as symbols of authority and status. Each well-researched chapter is full of interesting facts that support the straightforward, simply written text. Anecdotes are set off by a different font and attractive border designs. Readers are invited to slip their feet into a particular boot or clog and imagine what the original owner's life was like. The numerous black-and-white photographs and reproductions feature various persons throughout history and their shoes, as well as actual, and in some cases, unique, footwear. Helpful captions describe the pictures, which are sharp enough to show details. The impressive list of photography credits indicates the extensive research that was involved in locating examples of footwear discussed in the text. The glossy paper, layout, type design, and open margins all add to the book's appeal. An annotated bibliography is included. The index is useful, although the book will probably be read more as a whole than used for specific questions.?Wendy D. Caldiero, New York Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews:

Subtitled ``A Walk Through the History of Footwear,'' this is an extensive and sometimes funky history of shoes. Lawlor (George on His Own, 1993, etc.) states, ``More than any other personal belonging, shoes reveal a great deal about how each of us lives, works, and plays.'' She describes seven traditional styles (sandal, boot, oxford, pump, clog, mule, and moccasin) and all sorts of uses (protection, show of authority, status, fashion, milestones). In addition, shoes have always played an important role in myth and literature--from Cinderella's glass slippers and Dorothy's ruby-red shoes to the old woman who lived in a shoe. Readers will learn not only about the first shoes that ever existed, but also other tidbits: Michael Jordan wears a different pair of shoes every evening, and the brand name ``Keds'' is a combination of ``kids'' and ``peds.'' The black-and-white drawings, photographs, and reproductions will interest readers, especially shots of Elton John's five-inch rhinestone platform shoes and an Austrian orphan's joy over the new pair of shoes that arrived as part of a post-war relief effort. Whimsical and informative. (maps, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10+) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Walker & Co
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0802784356
• ISBN 13: 9780802784353
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 96