Here, in over 2,000 specially drawn illustrations, is the most comprehensive and detailed history and sourcebook of shoes ever published. John Peacock charts the development of every kind and style of footwear for both men and women from earliest times to the present day. Reproduced in meticulous detail and full colour is a host of representative examples of footwear: the simple sandals of ancient Egypt, made from natural fibres and held onto the foot with narrow thongs; the embroidered and bejewelled shoes of the Byzantine empire; the fantastic pike-toed boots newly fashionable in the fourteenth century; the hugely exaggerated platform heels of the sixteenth century; and, eighteenth-century silk slippers; as well as a huge range of contemporary shoes, from brogues and baseball boots, stilettos and winklepickers, to today's fashion footwear in radical materials and experimental styles. Neatly arranged in six chronological sections, the pictures are accompanied by full descriptions, including details of all materials, heel and toe styles, decorations including embroidery and beading, and fastenings including buttons, laces and ribbons.An invaluable reference section includes an at-a-glance time chart showing the development of footwear through the ages, a concise bibliography, and biographies of the worlds leading shoe designers and companies, including Salvatore Ferragamo, Charles Jourdan, Terry de Havilland and Manolo Blahnik.