Dress in Anglo-Saxon England - Softcover

Owen-Crocker, Professor Gale R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 184383572X ISBN 13: 9781843835721

Publisher: Boydell Press, 2010

Synopsis

Based on the revised and expanded edition of 2004, this paperback is an encyclopaedic study of English dress from the fifth to the eleventh centuries, drawing evidence from archaeology, text and art [manuscripts, ivories, metalwork, stone sculpture, mosaics], and also from re-enactors' experience. It examines archaeological textiles, cloth production and the significance of imported cloth and foreign fashions. Dress is discussed as a marker of gender, ethnicity, status and social role - in the context of a pagan burial, dress for holy orders, bequests of clothing, commissioning a kingly wardrobe, and much else - and surviving dress fasteners and accessories are examined with regard to type and to geographical/chronological distribution. There are colour reconstructions of early Anglo-Saxon dress and a cutting pattern for a gown from the Bayeux tapestry; Old English garment names are discussed, and there is a glossary of costume and other relevant terms.

GALE OWEN-CROCKER is Professor of Anglo-Saxon Culture at the University of Manchester. She has a special interest in dress throughout the medieval period - she advises on dress entries to the Toronto Old English Dictionary and has consulted for many museums and television companies. She is co-editor of the journal Medieval Clothing and Textiles.

About this title

About the Author:

Gale R. Owen-Crocker is Professor Emerita at the University of Manchester, having previously been Professor of Anglo-Saxon Culture and Director of the Manchester Centre for Anglo-Saxon Studies. She has written extensively on Anglo-Saxon culture, particularly in the field of dress and textiles and has published several books. She directed the production of a database of dress/textile terms in all languages of the British Isles

Review:

Splendid...the major overview of Anglo-Saxon clothing and textile from the 5th to 11th centuries. [...] Owen-Crocker has become the authority reconstructors call upon... A wise and scholarly book. --Toebi

This new version is doubly welcome, both as a largely intact reappearance of a valued text and a very substantial and deftly added text of totally new material.. Justif[ies] totally the term `encyclopaedic'... This most valuable up-dating is long likely to be an invaluable tool for historians of Medieval costume and [those] who have practical interests related to it. --Medieval Dress and Textile Society Newsletter

A well-documented and clearly organized source for all aspects of medieval clothing. [...]a perfect companion for both the serious scholar of period dress and...enthusiasts who desire to wear historically authentic garments. --Renaissance Magazine

About this edition

• Publisher: Boydell Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 184383572X
• ISBN 13: 9781843835721
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 428