Reference Reviews

Lawrence Looks at Books

The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing through World History, edited by Jill Condra. 3 vols. 1.086p. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2008. 978-0-313-33662-1; 2007-30705. $399.95.

The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing through World History, edited by Jill Condra This new survey of the history of clothing consists of 27 thematic essays focusing on specific periods or places. While the representation of the European world is comprehensive from ancient Greece to the present, coverage of other regions is deliberately selective. The first volume, which ranges from prehistoric to medieval clothing, includes discussions of Egyptian and Persian fashions. The second volume, which focuses on Renaissance and early modern Europe, also examines Edo Japan, Mughal India, Aztec Mexico and Korea before the introduction of European culture. The final volume covers mainstream Western fashions from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century, with fashions of the twentieth century treated by decade. Each essay includes a timeline and sketch of the history of each period. The amount of background cultural information varies, but the surveys include discussion of the materials used, basic patterns of dress, and stylistic differences by gender, age and social class. Distinctions unique to specific professions, particularly the military and religious figures, are also noted. The scope includes hairstyles, footwear, jewelry and other forms of adornment. Changes in fashion over time are described, and much information is provided on the material evidence for clothing of different periods. Each chapter includes a select bibliography of print and web resources as well as lists of movies depicting the dress of the period. A substantial glossary, a list of museums and the index are repeated in each volume. While the presence of color illustrations is laudable, one does wish that a greater number of illustrations were used. Compared to the Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion (Scribners', 2005), this set is less comprehensive in scope and world coverage. However, for the periods and places presented, the entries coherently convey substantial information on the clothing and fashions each period. From costume designers to students of social history, this set will prove a valuable tool.
—John R.M. Lawrence