Let me start with the problems: This book is NOT for the general reader who happens to be curious about historical footwear. And I would be hesitant to say the book really goes up to 1800. It's examples are primarily from the 9th to 14th century, with some later pieces included to clarity and evolution of shoe making techniques. Additionally, it's an archaeological study, clearly not originally written in English, which organizes it's shoe examples by construction technique rather than by era and provides little contextual information about the type of person who might have worn the style in question.
Having said all of that, this work is amazing. I can not think of a single better source for information on shoes from 900 to about 1500. The illustrations are clear, the style (once you get used to it) is understandable even for someone with out a background in archaeology (though it helps to have read academic texts before) and the material is found in few other places. However, if you just want a history of shoes, than perhaps not the right book for you.
Also, and I think this is a general issue, my copy of the book was not well bound and I have heard the same complaint from others. So, I have a few loose pages, but that doesn't detract from the quality of the text.
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