Overview

"""Meticulously researched and beautifully produced."" Times Literary Supplement ""A big and beautiful book."" Journal of British Studies ""A definitive history of the sports shoe."" Amber Butchart, fashion historian ""A necessary book [and] a great read."" Samuel Smallidge, Archivist, Converse ""Both educational and entertaining."" Scene Point Blank The story of the sneaker’s rise from the first Victorian tennis shoes to the Nike Air Max and beyond. Moving from the athletic field to the shopping mall, Thomas Turner tells a fresh story of the evolution of the sports shoe against the changing landscape of society, sport, fashion, industry, and technology. The Sports Shoe takes us on a journey from the first Victorian tennis shoes to the sneaker of today, to the adidas Superstar and the innovative technologies of Nike Air Max. Featuring newly uncovered archival material and historic images showcasing key personalities, vintage marketing and common perceptions of this hugely desirable product, this book is a must-have for any sneaker collector, historian of popular culture, or anyone interested in the place of athletic footwear in our lives today."

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9781474281799

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Reviews

The rise of sports shoes to their central position as an iconic fashion item in the 21st century is a fascinating story, told here with enthusiasm and in-depth knowledge. Whether you are a student of fashion, a sports enthusiast or a `sneakerhead', you will enjoy this excellent book. -- Chris Hill, Northampton University, UK

Part of the charm of this meticulously researched and beautifully produced book is that, for many of us, our first sports shoes carry the same kind of emotional charges as our first movies or our first records. * Times Literary Supplement * Beautifully chronicling over 100 years of the sports shoe, this is the most intricately detailed love letter to the sneaker ever written. -- Jason Coles, author of 'Golden Kicks: The Shoes that Changed Sport' We all wear them. How did the sports shoe become so ubiquitous? Telling the story of its rise and transformation, this is an original contribution to the study of material and popular culture. -- Frank Trentmann, author of 'Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers' and 'Free Trade Nation: Consumption, Civil Society and Commerce in Modern Britain', and Birkbeck, University of London, UK A beautifully illustrated and thoroughly researched history ... If you want to know anything about the sport shoe, you must read this book. Just do it! -- Giorgio Riello, author of 'Cotton: The Fabric That Made the Modern World' and 'A Foot in the Past: Consumers, Producers and Footwear in the Long Eighteenth Century', and University of Warwick, UK A highly readable book of interest to anyone who has ever laced up a trainer. Lavishly illustrated, meticulously researched, and fluidly written ... a rich and surprising history of modernity. -- Marybeth Hamilton, author of 'In Search of the Blues' Thomas Turner has written a necessary book on the cultural history and impact of sports shoes. This is a great read for anyone interested in how a piece of sports equipment could transcend its original purpose and become a staple of everyday life. -- Samuel Smallidge, Archivist, Converse Extremely well-researched, wide-ranging, and engaging, this tremendous new book explores one of today's most important forms of footwear. -- Elizabeth Semmelhack, author of 'Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture' and 'Shoes: The Meaning of Style', and Senior Curator, Bata Shoe Museum, Canada Entertaining, passionate and wonderfully illustrated, this book places sports shoes within their wider social context so we can all truly appreciate their significance. -- Rebecca Shawcross, author of 'Shoes: An Illustrated History', and Senior Shoe Curator, Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, UK This engaging story of how the sports shoe went from functional to fashionable reveals how so many of us came to long for the latest in footwear. -- Gary Cross, author of 'Consumed Nostalgia: Memory in the Age of Fast Capitalism' and 'An All Consuming Century: Why Commercialism Won in Modern America', and Penn State University, USA Taking you on the fascinating journey of the sports shoe, this book provides sound insight into the essential relationship between form, function and innovation in design. Beyond sports shoe fans, it's a great read for anyone interested in fashion, product design, history or, frankly, anyone who has felt the liberation of wearing sports shoes in everyday life. -- Claudine Rousseau, Head of Atelier, Rapha Racing The rise of sports shoes is a fascinating story, told here with enthusiasm and in-depth knowledge. Whether you are a student of fashion, a sports enthusiast or a `sneakerhead', you'll enjoy this excellent book. -- Chris Hill, Northampton University, UK With his thorough scholarship and wide-ranging research, Thomas has written a definitive history of the sports shoe. This a book to be enjoyed by historians of dress, economics, and technology, as well as sport enthusiasts and sneaker aficionados alike. -- Amber Butchart, fashion historian and author, and presenter of the BBC's 'A Stitch in Time' For anyone who doubted the importance of the sports shoe to contemporary fashion, Thomas Turner's comprehensive study is essential reading ... The book is not only rigorous and intellectual, but also entertaining and accessible. -- Janice Miller, author of 'Fashion and Music', and Kingston University London, UK

The rise of sports shoes to their central position as an iconic fashion item in the 21st century is a fascinating story, told here with enthusiasm and in-depth knowledge. Whether you are a student of fashion, a sports enthusiast or a `sneakerhead', you will enjoy this excellent book. -- Chris Hill, Northampton University, UK We all wear them. How did the sports shoe become just so ubiquitous? This book tells the story of its rise and transformation - an original contribution to the study of material and popular culture. -- Frank Trentmann, author of 'Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers, from the Fifteenth Century to the Twenty-First'

Beautifully chronicling over 100 years of the sports shoe, this is the most intricately detailed love letter to the sneaker ever written. -- Jason Coles, author of 'Golden Kicks: The Shoes that Changed Sport' We all wear them. How did the sports shoe become so ubiquitous? Telling the story of its rise and transformation, this is an original contribution to the study of material and popular culture. -- Frank Trentmann, author of 'Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers' and 'Free Trade Nation: Consumption, Civil Society and Commerce in Modern Britain', and Birkbeck, University of London, UK A beautifully illustrated and thoroughly researched history ... If you want to know anything about the sport shoe, you must read this book. Just do it! -- Giorgio Riello, author of 'Cotton: The Fabric That Made the Modern World' and 'A Foot in the Past: Consumers, Producers and Footwear in the Long Eighteenth Century', and University of Warwick, UK A highly readable book of interest to anyone who has ever laced up a trainer. Lavishly illustrated, meticulously researched, and fluidly written ... a rich and surprising history of modernity. -- Marybeth Hamilton, author of 'In Search of the Blues' Thomas Turner has written a necessary book on the cultural history and impact of sports shoes. This is a great read for anyone interested in how a piece of sports equipment could transcend its original purpose and become a staple of everyday life. -- Samuel Smallidge, Archivist, Converse Entertaining, passionate and wonderfully illustrated, this book places sports shoes within their wider social context so we can all truly appreciate their significance. -- Rebecca Shawcross, author of 'Shoes: An Illustrated History', and Senior Shoe Curator, Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, UK Extremely well-researched, wide-ranging, and engaging, this tremendous new book explores one of today's most important forms of footwear. -- Elizabeth Semmelhack, author of 'Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture' and 'Shoes: The Meaning of Style', and Senior Curator, Bata Shoe Museum, Canada This engaging story of how the sports shoe went from functional to fashionable reveals how so many of us came to long for the latest in footwear. -- Gary Cross, author of 'Consumed Nostalgia: Memory in the Age of Fast Capitalism' and 'An All Consuming Century: Why Commercialism Won in Modern America', and Penn State University, USA Taking you on the fascinating journey of the sports shoe, this book provides sound insight into the essential relationship between form, function and innovation in design. Beyond sports shoe fans, it's a great read for anyone interested in fashion, product design, history or, frankly, anyone who has felt the liberation of wearing sports shoes in everyday life. -- Claudine Rousseau, Head of Atelier, Rapha Racing The rise of sports shoes is a fascinating story, told here with enthusiasm and in-depth knowledge. Whether you are a student of fashion, a sports enthusiast or a `sneakerhead', you'll enjoy this excellent book. -- Chris Hill, Northampton University, UK With his thorough scholarship and wide-ranging research, Thomas has written a definitive history of the sports shoe. This a book to be enjoyed by historians of dress, economics, and technology, as well as sport enthusiasts and sneaker aficionados alike. -- Amber Butchart, fashion historian and author, and presenter of the BBC's 'A Stitch in Time' For anyone who doubted the importance of the sports shoe to contemporary fashion, Thomas Turner's comprehensive study is essential reading ... The book is not only rigorous and intellectual, but also entertaining and accessible. -- Janice Miller, author of 'Fashion and Music', and Kingston University London, UK

Author Information

Thomas Turner is a historian, writing and working in London, UK.

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