Shoes is an inspiring, impeccably researched and concise history of footwear through the ages. After a general introduction, chronological chapters illustrated throughout retrace the history of footwear from the Middle Ages to today, featuring shoes and boots that once belonged to both anonymous and famous male and female wearers, from battered old ?chimney shoes? hidden away for good luck to the elegant styles of the Renaissance, from Elizabethan mules to the first stilettos. A detailed glossary, bibliography and index conclude the book.

Lucy Johnston is an expert in historical dress and a former curator in the Department of Fashion, Textiles, and Furniture at the V&A. She is now a freelance curator and museum consultant. Her publications include Fashion in Detail: 1800-1900.