Buttons (Paperback)

by Diana Epstein (Author), Millicent Safro (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Three centuries and myriad styles of buttons are represented in this prepossessing volume by Epstein and Safro, owners of a Manhattan button shop. They travel worldwide to augment their formidable collection and offer here a curious history lesson complete with bejeweled French rococo creations, tiny 18th-century British sporting scenes, Italian mosaics, late 19th-century American tintypes and delicate portraits painted on porcelain and ivory. Other buttons shown are made of wood, mother-of-pearl, silver or enamel and are attractively presented against neutral backgrounds; captions list dates, materials used and unusual button trivia. Also included in this surprisingly captivating book are painter Dine's eloquent foreword attesting to the buttons' charm and author Wolfe's recollection of a screening at which a designer's wife was moved more by an actor's gold buttons than by the film's climactic moment.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"Between the covers of this book are decorative works of art, once thought of as merely buttons." -Mario Buatta; "A dazzling cornucopia that charts the button's evolution - from bucolic 18th-century French enamels to racy American silk garter studs with Clara Bow faces - in an absorbing text by two women with a profound knowledge of their subject and a passion that corresponds." -Vanity Fair; "An enchanting book...nothing less than a gallery of paintings, sculptures, carvings and collages in miniature. Once you get a look at these gems, you'll view the not-so-humble closure with a new eye." -Glamour

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810990598
• ISBN-13: 978-0810990593
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,003,119 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely gorgeous!!, January 17, 2008

By	Red Azalea (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buttons (Paperback)

This is one of those books that I return to again and again. Absolutely gorgeous photographs of buttons through time... you'll be amazed at the variety and beauty of these little works of art! Antique/vintage buttons are a far cry from the simple little things you see today... they were status symbols and more than just a way of fastening clothes. Everything from (real) jewel-encrusted buttons and miniature portraits to astounding mosaics and miltary buttons concealing compasses... with bakelite Art Deco pieces, porcelain from Japan and Goodyear rubber in between. Diana Epstein and Millicent Saffro are true connoseurs, and their love of buttons is evident in every page of this wonderful coffee table book. It's an absolute marvel... thoroughly recommended!!