It gave me a real history of the shoe industry ...
927482
It gave me a real history of the shoe industry from as far back as the 1940s till today. From New England to Asia.
497292
Have not yet finished the book but as I have read!  I love it!  I thought I knew about the foot-binding in China but noop I have known nothing until I read this book.  VEry interesting and educational...

Will try to finish it soon and will update the review.  Recommend to read...
2156106
This is what shoe fanciers have been looking for for a long time - the shoes are incredible, the photos great, and the illustrations superb. The text from this author, who I believe was on the staff of the fab Bata Shoe Museum, is full of fascinating information. A real treat!
3836635
This was an interesting read for me.  I kept wondering what I would be doing if I was in the shoes...
814953
Watching Olympic athletes in China, the origin country of these shoes, it makes one truly appreciate what good does come out of that country like a pair of loafers that could take on a mountain of rock. A lot of recycle does either come from or end up being processed in China including the tire outsoles of these shoes. When you consider that the US is still in dire need to get rid of many, many tires, this kind of makes sense. Between that outsole there's another recycled layer which is expanded for comfort by a recessed cutout in the heel portion of the bottom. Latex insoles is pure genius, try to get them beyond a doctors office, and we all know how much orthopedic shoes cost. Amazon was giving $15 off when I bought these making it a good value = 75.

Interestingly enough in watching the Olympics NBC had a featurette on the artist behind the Olympic logo, a truly brilliant man who spent time locked up like far too many artists. His point was that China should begin to export culture along with goods. The first pair of these I got were an example of the oddities that go along with recycled goods. One tire outsole was bald, no good on the road, on your feet. So Amazon's excellent exchange had a new pair on next day service. When I pulled out the shoes and examined the outsoles I noticed something that had been stripped by the thin rubber cut on the previous shoe. There stamped in the outsole were Chinese characters that started from the heel certainly recognizable, to the toe where they faded out and they spoke to me without understanding the translation. The meaning says "yes, these are Chinese made shoes and they're good."
4777162
A great history on one of my favorite food items.
315526
The fast pace of the book, written in anecdotes, introduces the reader to Bill in a way that makes you feel you actually know him.  Besides being a life story, it is an interesting insight into the evolution of the shoe business.  I enjoyed it.
1755393
Great book from the time when things were more relaxed. doesn't try to be a haute couture guide nor a commercial competition training guide. just give you the principles of how to make your own shoes in a relaxed yet precise craftsman manner.  i bought mine used in the hardcover for 5.98 (yes, just shy of 6 bucks) at a used booked store...

great book to have on the craft shelf
2755355
I had read bits and pieces of this book, and wanted to read the whole story. I couldn't put it down! Andrew Tobias goes way behind the scenes to capture the man who was Revlon; the biggest and most flamboyantly-run cosmetics empire...before Estee Lauder , there was Charles Revson and Revlon. He was loathed, feared, repudiated and sometimes admired---the stories in this book are almost surreal in content. It is a lesson in history and how things used to be; before all of the politically-correct manure that passes for advertising in today's world. I strongly recommend this book; characters like Charles Revson do not exist anymore; they are, though, part of the American folklore and what Madison Avenue and the really big corporations used to be. It's How to Succeed in Business by Really Trying!
1592779
Enjoyed the step back into history to get a better idea of the processes and thinking that culminated in bringing us the variety of high heels that we, both men and women love wearing. Yes that's right, high heels including stilettos are just as prevalently demanded in the men's footwear selections as society has given women the notoriety.
3205872
I had researched this book  (at the local library) before I puchased it....so I knew I wanted to add it to my collection.  It covers the different styles and variations of heels, toes, etc.
1128665
It never really occured to me how much the world had been changing over the past decade or so. "Suddenly", everybody was crazy about Ralph-Lauren shirts and Nike shoes. I never really liked that but I didn't care. I also didn't really care much about all the sweatshop issues people were bringing up because I thought I wasn't buying into the whole thing anyway. Over the past couple of years I got more interested in the changes, though. Starbucks coffee shops are growing faster than mushrooms and neighbourhoods are Gap-ified. I find that pretty disgusting but I didn't know anything about what was going on behind the scenes. Therefore, when I picked up Naomi Klein's "No Logo" I was pleasantly surprised to get a plethora of information about all that stuff. I can't praise Mrs. Klein enough for the work she must have put into the book. It is highly informative, fun to read, and it is nice to discover the writer herself behind many of the stories in there. So in the end, I got the information I was looking for and much more. I learned how Starbucks pushes little coffee shops out of neighbourhoods by offering to pay more rent for the very places the coffee shops are in, I learned about Nike and its now infamous sweatshop system etc. etc. The other day, I went to "Macy's" and I couldn't resist to look at the tags of the sweaters there. Made in Indonesia, Honduras, ... you name it. I was disgusted and I left. Reading the book might disgust you. But you'll get an excellent idea of what's going on and what you can actually do to counter Starbucks and all the other brand predators.
4620152
Even if you don't own 600 pairs of shoes, like a certain former First Lady of the Philippines, this book, originally published in 1948, should be of interest to anyone who wants to know about footgear of the past.  It covers Egyptian, Mesopatamian, Greek, Etruscan, Roman, East Indian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Northern European (meaning the barbarian tribes of that region), and historic styles from Medieval days to the mid-20th Century.  Everything from sandals and moccasins to boots of every height to clogs and pattens to shoes fantastical, pretty, and practical is covered here, with Wilcox's clear text and lovingly detailed pen-and-ink sketches.  A beautiful and fascinating specialty book for historic-costume mavens.
4018742
This is a book about ordinary people living in Brooklyn in the olden days.  I enjoyed the simplicity of the read which allowed me to walk in their shoes while reading.  My sister recommended this book to me and she wondered why it took her so long to read it.  I would suggest this as a required read in school because it provides insight into living in another time - it's a great history lesson.
972412
My main complaint would be that I wish it was longer! (It took me only a few hours to read it... it was hard to put down.) It does have a few very minor typos (or should I say factual errors perhaps) in it, but I wouldn't let that at all detract from one's reading of this very compelling story. It definitely answered several questions I had about why/how Banana Republic's merchandise changed over the years (answers: the incorporation of custom-made clothing instead of utilizing all surplus, and also owing to its acquisition by The Gap and meddling by The Gap's top people), and even why (in my "humble" opinion) The Gap generally had lousy product lines for several years in the 1990s and early 2000s (again, owing to The Gap's top people). A must-read for anyone who is daring to start their own company... very motivating.
1614416
The manual had several unique ideas.  It also was history informative.  I found it very useful when combines with other footwear books.
4415248
A good portion of the book pertained to setting up Pay-Pal, which I had already done, and info about pictures, in  which I had already dabbled.  But this seemed to be a real-life story about a person's experience in E-bay.  There were a LOT of comments and suggestions about many things that I had not thought of.  I am sad that I may have to cut up my 1949 Life mags to make money by selling the ads and/or articles.  This is a great "live and learn" little book.