Saturday, March 13, 2010

New Book for Early Modern Period Reenactors

During my web surfing today I discovered the following book that is supposedly coming out this summer:

Peachey, Stuart (ed.), Clothes of the Common People: 1580-1660. Oxbow Books (July 31, 2010).  ISBN: 1842174088.

As the title implies, this book focuses on common people's costume in the late 16th to mid 17th centuries CE. My impression is that it focuses specifically on English costume. However, if that describes your period and country of interest, the following description of the book which I found on Amazon sounds enticing:

Men and women's costume throughout history is an area of great diversity, about which it is very misleading to try and make up simple rules. This extensively illustrated volume focuses on the clothes of common people in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. What can be shown where the evidence exists is what was owned, worn and constructed in certain cases. As well as providing a wealth of information on the style and material of clothes worn by men, women and children during this period, this book will also be an invaluable source for re-enactors. Stuart Peachey advises and guides those creating replica costumes, from using the correct materials for the role one is trying to represent, to dying, if appropriate, with the correct dyestuffs, to cutting an appropriate pattern, to assemblage and wear. By exploring the historical evidence available and practically applying it in order to construct accurate replicas of these garments, Peachey has not only created a well-researched academic study, but also a practical guide for those endeavouring to recreate costume of this period.

It's not going to be cheap, though. Amazon is offering it for pre-order at $59.39 USD (15% off the list price of $70.00 USD). But it is over 300 pages in length, and if it's well-researched and illustrated, it might well be worth it.

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