Uncovering the Rich and Diverse Histories of Women: A Guide to The Pocket

Palmetto Dreamer: Everyone knows women love pockets. This story of the O.G. pockets worn hundreds of years ago, interwoven with women of all classes’ everyday lives, property, and the law. If you are a material culture maven, please get this book. Those who enjoy exploring old legal cases and records will love it, too.

United States on Nov 17, 2023

MARY H.: I love social history and I love Needlework. This book was right up my street. I enjoyed every word of it whllst feeling I was looking at a part of the lives of many women of the past. Who would not feel for those whose only tenuous bit of private life was a pocket worn under their clothes in the day and put under their pillow at night? Another time, another place, it might have been any of us.

United Kingdom on Sep 21, 2023

Patricia A Canestaro: This is a wonderful book, with lots of history. The sellers took great care in packaging, something other used booksellers don't always do. I will be buying from them again!

United States on Sep 17, 2023

Solitaire Steele: Interesting book, bit dry in places, but nice photos - no regrets buying it.

Canada on Feb 28, 2023

Wolf: Great read, even if you have no intension of making a pocket yourself. Recommended

United Kingdom on Aug 08, 2022

Judith Desveaux: This book is informative, interesting to read and helpful in making 18th Century pockets.

Canada on Jan 06, 2022

Suxanne: So. I went by the Title with the Subtitle of " A Hidden History of Women's Lives". This lead me to believe I would learn about the histories of Women's Lives, not wat they carried in their pockets. 🤷🤦‍♀️ Sadly, it really IS about The Pocket, what they were made of, what they carried in them. And as one review stated, this is a very tedious read in small print. Considering the price gave of $18 new? I'm about to slap myself! I have already written my name in it, which is my habit, so there is no returning it. Lesson learned; read the reviews and Know What You Are Buying. You really cannot judge a book by its cover! A great deal of money was spent on this time and honestly it is quite astonishing to me that these two women were so extremely interested in the topic of women's waist pockets. This is extensive research in the extreme. The photos are nice. Pockets are nice. It's a beautiful book. I simply "don't get it" I suppose. One review called it a sewing book. That, it is not. It is a literal history of the waist pockets women made by hand and what they used them for. Right down to newspaper articles and court cases, you will learn everything about the history of these...

United States on Dec 13, 2021

Alex Proell: Sehr informativ und unterhaltsam geschrieben.

Germany on May 29, 2021

Claire: Yes, THE POCKET is scholarly--it's published by Yale University Press. Those who are seriously interested in women's history, social history, art history, needlework, history of costume, and the like will find THE POCKET to be a treat. I personally haven't been able to put it down since it arrived; I've even been reading it while I'm on my elliptical since it is so fascinating! The gorgeous full-color images are wonderful as well. As another reader mentioned, I noticed that the concept of the "tie on" pocket to be enduring as well: I routinely sling a waist pack across my torso or wear it on my waist because contemporary women's clothing is generally devoid of useful pockets--an acquaintance called the pathetic shallow pockets on women's jeans "mockets" and it is so true! Anyway, I highly recommend this book.

United States on May 11, 2021

Kathy: This book was full of wonderful images and insights! The writing was fascinating and engaging. I have just finished it and feel sad that it is over. As a woman, I deeply appreciated the attention to women's history, women's lives, and women's daily experiences. I see ME in this book. I carry a bag around my waist (a waist pack instead of a shoulder bag) every day and it is full of the same types of things listed for the pockets in this text. I sometimes wear it over my clothes and sometimes under a coat, it is indispensable in my everyday life. I think it is nuts to place asymmetrical strain on one's shoulders with a shoulder bag when you can carry a waist pack without any strain, and the contents are safer at the waist than in a dangling bag that can get left , misplaced, or easily stolen. The last chapter in this book says that pockets worn around the waist are no longer a "thing" but I disagree. I think the Pocket never died and I am living proof...

United States on Apr 07, 2021