History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Complete Costume History / Vollstandige Kostumgeschichte / Le Costume Historique

Average customer rating:

Excellent example of illustrations from a specific time
Fantastic!!!!
Impressive size
Breathtaking
Such a beautiful and interesting book

The Complete Costume History / Vollstandige Kostumgeschichte / Le Costume Historique
Auguste Racinet
Manufacturer: Taschen
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3822821934

Customer Reviews:

Excellent example of illustrations from a specific time.......2007-04-20

I just received this book for my birthday, I'd been wanting it for quite a while. When I first saw it, I knew it wasn't a reference book, and am surprised other reviewers thought it would be. For one thing it was written in 1896. Consider the world view at that time - very Eurocentric, very Western Civilization oriented. So that is what you get. However, you also get an example of illustrations and drawings that you just don't see now a days. Its quite lovely really, and is indeed useful when I am reading a historical novel and want a visual. So buy this for what it is, not what you think it is.

Fantastic!!!!.......2007-01-09

It's a fantastic history of the costumes. Racinet told us the meaning of live in all the sicles, with clothes, shoes, jewels, and everytthing that the people dressed in that days. It's my best buy in the last year! If you will working with fashion, art, history, or you are a person who want to say more about the life in the past, you must be see this book!

Impressive size.......2006-02-22

I was very impressed by the size of the book... never seen anything like this before. The content, however, is not that impressive. There are lots of good illustrations, copies from paintings, detailed drawings of selective accessories and furniture, but this is not a complete overview (but you would expect it to be full from such an edition, wouldn't you?). Confusing are the descriptions on each page: timeframes are too foggy and there is no description of each drawing, but those few available you often do not know which drawing to apply to.
The most interesting are the sections of folk and national dresses.
The book is more suitable for the coffee table (make sure you have a big one)to impress your guests than as a serious reference. Though I have used it a lot, I wish it was more complete

Breathtaking.......2004-08-14

A sumptuously beautiful book that I first discovered at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts bookstore (and what a bookstore it is). It is well worth the price, particularly the one offered here on Amazon, but I would have willing paid much more. The illustrations are breathtakingly beautiful.

Such a beautiful and interesting book.......2004-06-17

This is the ultimate coffee table book. It is so elegant. Full of interesting picture. I am not even very interested in costumes and fashion but this is such a beautful book. It will delight any guest who sees it on your coffee table.

Women's Wear of the 1930's: With Complete Patterns

Average customer rating:

Great Resource for making your own 1930s clothing

Women's Wear of the 1930's: With Complete Patterns
Ruth S. Countryman , and Elizabeth Weis Hopper
Manufacturer: Players Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0887346758

Customer Reviews:

Great Resource for making your own 1930s clothing.......2003-12-09

If you are an experienced sewer who wants to make your own clothing from the 1930s, this is the book for you. It doesn't have hats or hose, but it has everything else from foundation garments to outerwear. A big plus for this book is that for a few of the garments, they give the pattern drawing and a photo of the complete garmment on a real person. The book is also a good resource for dating the patterns in your pattern collection, as it gives the general outline of styles from each year of the 1930s. To use the patterns, you must be an experience sewer, as the patterns must be enlarged and the directions are sketchy.

Authentic Victorian Fashion Patterns: A Complete Lady's Wardrobe

Average customer rating:

Somewhat disappointing
Historic Tailoring Tips Revealed
1890s Sewing Patterns
A Must
A class of their own.

Authentic Victorian Fashion Patterns: A Complete Lady's Wardrobe

Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486407217

Book Description

Rich selection of scaled dressmaker's patterns from the popular late 19th-century magazine The Voice of Fashion details 50 garments for women, from handsome daytime and evening dresses to casual tennis outfits, a riding habit, and undergarments. Of practical use for costume designers and students of fashion; will also delight browsers. 498 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Somewhat disappointing.......2001-05-27

The buyer should know that a large majority of the patterns have blouses in the leg of mutton style. Since this was not what I was looking for I had to send it back. However the patterns did seem to be historically accurate.

Historic Tailoring Tips Revealed.......2001-04-27

Have you ever wondered how they made those lovely turn-of-the-century gowns? This book tells you how they did it! A reprint of a 1905 Butterick sewing book, it is intended for readers who aready know how to sew, as no beginning techniques are included. Full of vintage photographs and detailed instructions, this book gives step by step procedures for many tailoring techniques which we rarely see on anything but designer wear. These techniques can be applied by any seamstress to produce a more fitted and tailored look to their fashions. Definately worth owning for any costumer or fashion designer looking for a more romantic and tailored look in their fashions.

1890s Sewing Patterns.......2001-02-17

This book contains sewing patterns drawn from the same issues of the magazine _The Voice of Fashion_ as Dover's earlier collection _59 Authentic Turn-of-the-Century Fashion Patterns_. Both books contain patterns for the 1890s. This book focuses more on women's patterns; the other book contains many children's. I collect original issues of _The Voice of Fashion_. This magazine was published from 1886 to 1909. Every issue mirrors the season's changing styles. I am glad to see an anthology that makes the 1890s patterns more widely available. One note for seamstresses enlarging the patterns--the measurements on them are not inches, or metric. They are for a patent drafting system that is not included with either book.

A Must.......2000-11-26

A must have book for anyone interested in Late Victorian clothing. The introductions gives a basic review of drafting methods, with careful reading and patience (lots of it!) the patterns are easily drafted to modern measurements. You can't beat the price for the number of patterns you get.

A class of their own........2000-06-16

Good techniques for a lost art. Anyone who enjoys sewing authentic Victorian clothes, not just Victorian-styled clothes should buy this book.

Average customer rating:

Fascinating
Extremely useful -- One of the best I've seen

The Complete Fashion Sourcebook
John Peacock
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0500285721

Book Description

The renowned costume drawings of John Peacock, charting the development of women's and men's clothing from the 1920s onward, now brought together in one volume.

This beautifully illustrated, easy-reference volume, with its year-by-year format, allows changes in fashion to be shown in fascinating detail: from the boyish silhouette of the 1920s and the sophisticated outlines of the 1930s through the plain utilitarian 1940s and the new femininity of the 1950s, to the radical styles of the 1960s, the vintage and ethnic trends of the 1970s, and the structured "power dressing" of the 1980s. Day wear, evening wear, sports and leisure wear, accessories, underwear, and wedding wear are all included, and complete descriptions of each garment accompany the drawings, itemizing color, cut, necklines, lapels, sleeves, pockets, fastenings, buttons, and belts.

The reference section includes a chart that summarizes the evolution of fashion and garment shapes through the decades, as well as biographies of outstanding designers of each era and a full bibliography.

John Peacock's Complete Fashion Sourcebook brings together all the drawings from his seven-volume Fashion Sourcebooks series. It will become an indispensable part of the library of fashion enthusiasts, historians, and collectors, and is sure to provide inspiration to any designer or student working in the performing arts. Over 2,100 illustrations in 2 colors.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating .......2007-06-26

Inspirational, detailed, visually pleasing, good for research, and refrence. A must have if you are in the fashion industry

Extremely useful -- One of the best I've seen.......2006-08-23

This is a great resource for costume designers and anyone else wanting to capture the look of a particular period. The drawings are detailed and include men's and women's styles for each year from the 1920s to the 1980s. Examples include evening wear, daywear, sportswear, and even underwear and wedding fashions. Accessories (hats, shoes, handbags) are also pictured. Plenty can be learned just from looking at the pictures, although the descriptions that follow help to summarize the particulars of line, fabrics, etc. Very easy to use. I LOVE this book and will refer to it often in my work. I wish Peacock would do one for earlier fashions.

How the West was Worn: A Complete History of Western Wear

Average customer rating:

Western Attire in all its considerable glory!

How the West was Worn: A Complete History of Western Wear
Holly George-Warren , and Michelle Freedman
Manufacturer: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0810992566

Book Description

From fringed chaps to silver-spurred boots to ten-gallon Stetsons, Western wear is a uniquely American look that has romanced the entire world. In How the West Was Worn, now available in an affordable paperback format, Holly George-Warren and Michelle Freedman round up the different styles of this enduring trend. The book is an authoritative yet entertaining look at "glitterbillies," rodeo girls, and rhinestone cowboys, featuring archival photos of celebrities as well as collectibles like vintage album covers and sewing patterns. The lively, fact-filled text, including a foreword by country-music star Marty Stuart, makes this book a barrel of fun for fashion devotees and country music fans alike.

Customer Reviews:

Western Attire in all its considerable glory!.......2007-08-16

A wonderful wallow for a clothing collector! A source of inspiration for an obsessed person who is likely to make his or her own clothing! Marvellous images, beautifully printed, I love this book.

The Complete History of Costume & Fashion: From Ancient Egypt to the Present Day

Average customer rating:

There is nothing complete about this book.
didn't like it
Nearly Useless as a Costume Reference
A good general costume history

The Complete History of Costume & Fashion: From Ancient Egypt to the Present Day
Bronwyn Cosgrave
Manufacturer: Checkmark Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0816045747

Book Description

The Complete History of Costume and Fashion is a comprehensive illustrated guide to the history of clothing and fashion. At different times in history, fashionable dress has taken very different forms. From the first fashion style of the Egyptians to the extravagant clothes of the Romans, from the birth of the Dandy to haute couture in the twentieth century, this book chronicles the evolution of style for both males and females from a social, cultural, and historical perspective.

Organized by specific time periods, coverage includes:
The Ancient Egyptians: Noble garments, wigs and hairpieces, eye make-up, jewelry
Greece and Rome: Classical elegance, the Etruscan wardrobe, bright colors, the toga
Middle Ages: Medieval Europe and Byzantine fashion, age of chivalry, trains and sleeves
Early Renaissance: Damask, taffeta, velvet, tight-fitting bodices
Sixteenth Century: Flowering of the arts, science and fashion, doublets and ruffs, bodices
Seventeenth Century: Influence of the Baroque, ribbons and embroidery, wigs for men
Eighteenth Century: Extravagance and excess, masks, buckled shoes, three-cornered hats, hoop skirts
Nineteenth Century: Victorian values, crinolines and bustles, artificial hair color, double-breasted jackets
Twentieth Century: The age of diversity, global style, mini-skirts, supermodels, street fashion, new fabrics.

Customer Reviews:

There is nothing complete about this book........2006-12-09

The most complete book of History of Costume I have found is "Survey of Historic Costume" by Phyllis Tortora and Keith Eubank. The title of this book "The Complete..." and the lack of content simple don't belong together.

This book is a beginners basic introduction to costume. It needs to be reviewed and mistakes need to be fixed.

didn't like it.......2006-11-10

There are cool pictures and all but seriously you cannot cover the whole egyptian, etruscan, greek...periods in 3-4 pages. The book plainly describes what people were wearing in these periods (and it does not give you the complete info) and it does not tell you much about the story behind these costumes which I found pretty lame.

Nearly Useless as a Costume Reference.......2001-10-23

Always on the lookout for any new costume reference, I was
eager to leaf through this one. Unfortunately, it was nearly
a waste of time.

I say "nearly", because Cosgrave provides quite a few helpful
illustrations, though the objects depicted are often mislabelled and period paintings are seldom fully cited.

In general, I found this volume to be shallow and badly researched. It's full of bad generalizations and misused terminology. Cosgrave makes numerous statements which are at odds with everything I've come to know about historical costume. Seldom are these bald statements backed by sources discussed in the text. She also has a 'thing' about Byzantine costume. Everything worn in any other place or time suffers in her constant comparisons.

One of my favorite absurdities is that her entire discussion of medieval jewelry is a dismissal of the same as "crude". (Though she does allow that the Irish did some nice work. And, of course, it suffers by comparison to Byzantine jewelry.)

Another example: The caption regarding a painting of people in Burgundian Court Dress urges the reader to "Note the Byzantine influences". Huh?!!

In general I'd recommend that the re-enactor or Costume History
student look at the pictures and ignore the text.

A good general costume history.......2001-09-09

This is a beautifully designed publication certain to be rewarding to someone seeking an overview of the subject. The text, while not truly in depth, is very readable and is written in a vernacular yet polished style. Customs of the various cultures and periods, along with manners and gender roles in society, are covered as well. Ancient Europe and the Mesopotamian cultures (Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria) are omitted. Some of Ms. Cosgrave's information about other early cultures - especially the Egyptians - does not totally coincide with other authors and should not be taken as gospel, but rather as a possible interpretation. In other chapters, some of the observations and conclusions are quite insightful. The illustrations are wonderful and astutely chosen (with the exception of some 19th century line drawings used to illustrate early Egyptian, Greek and Roman costume.) The illustrations are also reproduced well, and the number of color plates is quite abundant for a book of this price. The books main weakness, and this is a big weakness, is that these beautiful and well chosen illustrations are not consistently attributed with the date, name of the work, artist, or museum, and in fact some of them are incorrectly identified or dated. Also, in the sections of the book on the 19th and 20th centuries - both in the illustration placement as well as the text - the reader does not really get a clear picture of the looks of the individual decades and periods within these centuries. Given the rapid changes of silhouettes and styles that occur in these years, a more thorough and detailed account would be welcome. With these notable reservations, this publication has still achieved reasonable success, and is still a recommendable text on the subject, especially for novices. The attractive price - especially the Amazon price - makes this a good value as well and contributes to its overall rating.

Twentieth-Century Fashion : The Complete Sourcebook

Average customer rating:

VERY GOOD
Some strengths, but some serious weaknesses
Historical Documentation of Fashion
great "handbook"
Like a book of paper doll cutouts

Twentieth-Century Fashion : The Complete Sourcebook
John Peacock
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0500015643

Customer Reviews:

VERY GOOD.......2007-01-03

This is a very good reference book to have if you are working in the film/TV industrie or even Theatre or any other fashion area. it gives you a very good overview of every period for men, women, and children (which is very rare to find). it even shows accessories, hats gloves etc.

Some strengths, but some serious weaknesses.......2006-08-19

I am very disappointed with this item. I bought it on the strength of Peacock's Shoes: the Complete Sourcebook, and the fact that Thames & Hudson was the publisher (another reputation bites the dust). One problem that both books share is that the title doesn't really convey the scope. I realize that it is hard to define vague areas, but this is more or less Western European and American fashion, it is only about women's clothing, not even the 2003 reprint covers the entire 20th century (it's 1900-1990), and "complete sourcebook" is a bit of an exaggeration. Christian Lacroix claims in the Preface that the fashions of the 1990s are too diverse to be covered. How "fashion" is defined is one of the chief problems with the book.

The basic plan is a good one: fashions for various occasions along with their associated underwear and accessories. The book is broken up into sections covering 5 years (e.g.,1900-1904) Each section has a page each of haute couture, accessories (usually shoes, purses, hats, wraps, and oddly enough, tops such as blouses and sweaters), leisure wear, underwear, evening wear, bridal fashions and two pages of day wear. Coats, jewelry, wigs, gloves, etc., are covered only sporadically. All are illustrated in color by 1100 drawings of a number of garments with dates; only the haute couture are attributed to specific designers. Apparently in order to save pages, the keys to the illustrations, with detailed information about the items, are grouped together in 10 year increments. I find this a bit annoying, but I understand the motive. This is followed by a very useful section with silhouettes for the beginning and ending of each five year period, with description of typical details: e.g. fabrics, trimmings, necklines. This is followed by brief vitas of designers and a bibliography.

There are some oddities in this admirable plan. I was born in 1953, so I remember several decades. Slips start vanishing from the illustrations in the 1960s, even though Peacock still shows plenty of dresses, and are pretty much absent in the 1980s. I suspect more women wore slips later: dresses and skirts were actually more popular than a decade earlier. Contrary to the impression conveyed in the drawings, women did not stop carrying purses in 1970-1974 and 1985-1990.

Worse, Peacock has ignored some of the major trends in 20th century clothing: blue jeans and denim; the decline of hats; and the rise of the woman's business suit. Even given that a book of this size can't really be "complete" this is a major failing.

The industrial revolution made clothing relatively cheap: even the poor could afford new clothing and affect designs. As Christian Lacroix says in the Preface: "... the more the century progresses, the greater the gulf between magazine images of fashion and what is actually being worn on the street." Peacock seems to ignore this. Lacroix continues less accurately: "There is no risk of that with this book ... the every day is ... side by side with fashion's idealized images."

Peacock himself says: "As dictated by the couturier, fashionable dress represents an ideal which few women attain but to which many aspire." He states that this book is his impression of the "ideal". I question defining fashion as strictly determined by couturiers or designers. They are a phenomenon of only the last couple of centuries; fashion existed long before they did. Historically, fashionable clothing was available only to the fairly wealthy and was an indication of their status. Now more people can afford designer clothes, but choose not to wear them. Bell-bottom jeans were as much a fashion of the 1960s-1970s as mini-skirts. Further, jeans were later created by some of the fashion designers that Peacock lists.

There are only hints that hats were pretty much abandoned except for cold weather and, in some cases, religious venues. Someone once described this as the greatest revolution in Western costume! When I was young, most women would never have gone to church or anything other than the most casual event without gloves and a hat. If they didn't have a hat, many put a handkerchief on their head. Now it is very common for women to be bare-headed.

Lastly, the business suit, particularly the knee-length versions that have probably been the most common, are virtually ignored.

The variety of types of garments are a major strength of this book, and some people may want it for that reason. I think it is a very poor representation of how people, even those consciously following some fashion, actually dressed. I suspect that many people with a great interest in the fashion of these years have this information already, and it is questionable as a sole, basic source. Certainly I wouldn't suggest that a novelist, say, rely on this as a representation of clothing in the last half of the century at least.

Historical Documentation of Fashion.......2003-12-29

This is a nice book. I want to be a fashion design so my mom thought this would be a nice book,...it wasn't what I was hoping for but it helps if I ever have 'designer's block.' You can look at some of the designs and certain trends and work them into a peice of clothing. And since I've had a bit of trouble drawing my design with people and poses this gives me an idea of what it needs to look like but it doesn't help you draw better. All in all it's a pretty nice book, but not the kind I would have bought but I'm glad my mom did because it's given me lots of ideas.

great "handbook".......2003-03-19

I'm a vintage clothing dealer and use this book constantly. Not as a reference for myself (there are many better books on this subject) but as a guide to show customers a general guide to the "look" of a certain period. The picture outline format is great for just illustrating trends in outfits from the time. I show them how you can capture a look with certain styles or accessories that may or even may not be period. It is a wonderful tool that I have used many, many times. I may not recommend it as a comprehensive guide to vintage, but as a visual tool for a quick education at a glance, you can't beat it.

Like a book of paper doll cutouts.......2000-10-05

The book is filled with illustrations which are very nice, but I wasn't too impressed. Had I not bought it through Amazon, and was able to flip through it beforehand, I probably would not have bought it. Still, it looks pretty good on a coffee table.

The Complete Guide to Practical Cutting (1853/2 Volumes in 1) (1853/2 Volumes in 1) (1853/2 Volumes in 1)

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The Complete Guide to Practical Cutting (1853/2 Volumes in 1) (1853/2 Volumes in 1) (1853/2 Volumes in 1)
Edward Minister
Manufacturer: R L Shep
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0914046179
Release Date: 1993-01-01

Product Description

A legendary and major work of costume history. The basis for the Minister System, it had a profound influence on the tailoring industry. Two volumes in one, with patterns and instructions for: ladies' polkas and riding habits, English Army, Navy and Civil dress regulations, as well as uniforms. With additional, contemporary, fashion plates. Useful in the making of Early Victorian, Crimean War, Napoleon III (1850s/1860s). A good reference for one of the most elegant periods of men's clothing.

American Dress Pattern Catalogs, 1873-1909: Four Complete Reprints

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A treasure of insightful information
American Dress Pattern Catalog

American Dress Pattern Catalogs, 1873-1909: Four Complete Reprints

Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486256545

Book Description

Over 3,500 rare illustrations depict everything from bicycle suits to evening wear. Invaluable reference; rich royalty-free source for designers, illustrators. Co-published with Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield

Customer Reviews:

A treasure of insightful information.......2007-04-20

A fascinating little book. Insightful to a time when much of a family's cloths were not purchased in the store but made by the lady of the house on her sewing machine or in some cases sewn by hand.

American Dress Pattern Catalog.......2001-03-14

Very interesting, fun to look out book. I enjoyed finding out about the pricing and incentives used to entice buyers. The pictures are wonderful. The reprint of the magazine article is entertaining. It was interesting to see the evolution of comfort in women's clothing.

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