Social meets fashion history in the tantalizing story of the boot from the Roaring Twenties and Prohibition to online shopping and fashion blogs. Weaving together such unlikely elements as Glam Rock, the martyrdom of Joan of Arc, and the Iran-Contra scandal, it shows how the modern fashion boot plays with our ideas of gender, straddling the line between practical and stylish, between fashion and fetish. Peake, author of the popular Made for Walking blog, includes thought-provoking photos and graphs that look deeply into what boots do, and what we make them do. In the words of renowned designer Beth Levine, "Boots moved into prominence the same time The Pill did. Both were symbols of a woman's new freedom and emancipation." Whether you're a student of fashion history, a collector of vintage clothes, or someone who feels "five hundred times more dashing" wearing boots, this book is for you. AUTHOR: Andy Peake is a writer and museum curator. Born in London, he graduated from the University of Oxford and has worked for a number of major museums. He currently lives in Connecticut with his wife and daughter. SELLING POINTS: . The history of women's fashion boots, from the early 20th century to the present day . Covers not only design, but also the role of social history, culture, and media in the development of the boot . Explores parallels between women's boot wearing and the cultural upheavals that changed society's "wife/mother" stereotypes 118 colour and b/w images