Theatre History & Practice

Published in France between 1876 and 1888, Auguste Racinet's Le Costume historique was the most wide-ranging and intelligent study of clothing ever published. Covering the world history of costume, dress, and style from antiquity through the end of the 19th century, the great work 'consolidated' in 1888 into 6 volumes with nearly 500 plates and remains completely unique in its scope and detail. Racinet's organization by culture and subject has been preserved in Taschen's magnificent and complete reprint, as have excerpts from his delightful descriptions and often witty comments. Though Racinet's study spans the globe from ancient times through his own, his focus is on European clothing from the Middle Ages to the 1880s and this subject is treated with exceeding passion and attention to detail.

A new addition to the Scribner Daily Life series, this broad-based encyclopedia surveys clothing and body adornment, and examines the origins of clothing, the development of fabrics and technologies, and the social meanings of dress. It also presents information on representative costumes from a wide variety of historical eras. Topics range from the bustle, sari, and toga to Polyester and body piercing. cocktail dress, bathing suit, burqua, Nehru jacket), techniques and manufactures (batik, dry cleaning, zipper, stone washing), body adornment (makeup, mask, tattoo, wig), and important persons and institutions (Coco Chanel, Edith Head, Yves Saint-Laurent, Fashion Institute of Technology). The longer essays provide cultural context: class, gender, sumptuary laws, costume design for stage and screen, advertising; fashion careers; ecclesiastical dress; military uniforms; etc.

How people dressed throughout history often reflects how they lived at the time, and Clothing in World History gives the reader a chance to explore clothing in a given place and time while also providing a general history to help put the costumes in context. This set takes the reader on a journey from the beginning of time to present day to look at what people wore in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. Men's, Women's, and Children's clothing from various social classes, as well as accessories, are be included.

The print copy of this journal is shelved on floor 4M. Also available electronically by clicking on the link.