Medieval Costume and Fashion (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This superb panoramic study of clothing worn in the Middle Ages will fascinate costume enthusiasts, fashion historians and anyone intrigued by medieval life. A meticulously researched text is enhanced with nearly 700 illustrations depicting all manner of apparel—from fur-trimmed cloaks and brocaded robes of courtiers and the nobility to simpler mantles, tunics and trousers worn by merchants, huntsmen, and other commoners. Also included: hairstyles, foot-covering, jewelry, headgear, weapons, and even advice on table manners. "Fascinating in its detail and particularly clearly and well arranged [this book is] a helpful and welcome means of refreshing one’s memory with long-forgotten dates."—Saturday Review.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (November 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486404862
• ISBN-13: 978-0486404868
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #154,385 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #26 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Medieval
  #64 in	Books > Home & Garden > Antiques & Collectibles > Textiles & Costume

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Use With Caution, April 19, 2000

By	Catherine Raymond (Malvern, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Like his "Tudor Costume and Fashion," Herbert Norris's "Medieval Costume and Fashion" has wonderfully clear illustrations and virtually no attribution of illustrations or facts to sources. This volume does have the virtue of containing fewer irrelevant, discursive historical ramblings and of being more focused. However, I would still check Mr. Norris's assertions against Mary Houston, Stella Mary Newton, and other period and scholarly sources before accepting them.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Great to look at but horribly inaccurate., October 1, 2003

By A Customer

This book is one of the medieval costume sources heavily influenced by the Victorian era. Norris' redrawings are changed quite a bit from the originals. He tends to base his thoughts off of the romanticized Victorian view of the middle ages rather than the actual middle ages. What he can't find from that, he just makes up. If you are looking for the "feel" of the middle ages in a halloween costume, this book will be fine. If you are interested in accuracy, you would be better to spend your money elsewhere.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yes, this is the Norris Resource finally reprinted!!!!!!!!!!, July 10, 1999

By	Susan J. McCartin (St. Petersburg, FL USA) - See all my reviews

Mr. Norris in his time created a groundbreaking resource for costumers. The original set of books was broken down into time periods, this reprint claims to be unabridged for the medieval period, however, just from an initial glance it would seem to me that some of the b/w hand drawn illustrations are not present in this reprint. I'd love to hear from someone with the original set of books to see if they agree with me. The Norris book set has been a staple resource in the SCA for years. Mr. Norris is great with the drawings but documentation of the original resources he drew from is often somewhat lacking. This is a book for the experienced costumer, he does nice layouts but they are not to scale so you must have a pretty good idea of shapes and cuts before you try to make anything pictured in here. He does an excellent job of showing trims and jewelry and shoes and accessories, for the price of this book it is fantastic but it should only be used as an addition to a resource showing original sources. Many thanks to the publisher for finally reprinting this excellent resource (now how about a hardback version for us hard core costumers that will kill this paperback in 6 months!)