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Books About 20th Century Men's Hats?

Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
What I would recommend Stefan is P.G. Wodehouse's tales of The British class system as told through upper class snob, Bertie Wooster and his valet Jeeves, consisting of 35 short stories and 11 novels.

Wodehouse was an avid reader of the classics and in Wooster and Jeeves you can easily see Shakespeare's characters, Iago and Othello. Iago's role is one of Othello's outwardly loyal courtier and friend, who in fact hates him and schemes his downfall. He also manipulates his friends and master into doing his bidding, eventually persuading Othello to believe that his wife, Desdemona, has been having an affair, resulting in Othello killing her in a jealous rage.

Not that Jeeves would ever consider such a tactic, but manipulative he certainly is. There have been countless portrayals on TV and cinema, but there's nothing like the books to capture the British class system.
I'll add them to the list, Robert. I watched the TV series with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, which was great fun.

Well, there's more out there than I was aware of!

Good thread.
There is a lot out there, but not all of it is published in English.
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
Pierre Toromanoff
Chapeau! The Ultimate Guide to Men's Hats


chapeau1.jpg


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
Teneues (February 15, 2021)


The book has text in both German and English. A decent read with nice photography, but far from the "ultimate guide" it pretends to be. More like a novice's introduction to different hatstyles with some common knowledge history added. Still in print, but I wouldn't put it high on the list.
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
Hat, origins, language. style
Drake Stutesman

drake stutesman.jpg


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
Reaktion Books; 1st edition (December 11, 2019)

This is a bit of an oddball. Stutesman is knowledgeable enough and the book is beautifully designed, but the emphasis is very much on the fashion and design point of view (the cover is a bit of a giveaway really) and the author seems a bit full of himself at times. Plenty of nice photos and illustrations though.
Still in print, so easy enough to find.
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
Tonak 1799-2019
Radek Polách


IMG_4140_resize.jpg


Radek Polách 2019
Hardcover 386 pages

As a hat book and reference work about Hückel and Tonak it doesn't get any better than this. Our own Steve @mayserwegener contributed to this work and it shows. Thoroughly researched it contains a vast amount of information, photos and illustrations. I got my copy straight from Tonak and I think that's the only way to get one if they are still available. Well worth giving that a try though, because there aren't many hat books out there as good as this one, even if it is about one factory. Highly recommended.
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
Omaggio al cappello 1857-1957
Mario Carrieri, Giuseppe Trevisani & Massimo Vignelli (Authors)


omaggio-cappello-borsellino2.jpeg


without the dustjacket
omaggio-cappello-borsellino3.jpeg


Hardcover (pages?)
January 1, 1957

This book celebrates 100 years of Borsalino but it's title "a tribute to the hat" covers the contents quite well. It's heavily illustrated with paintings, etchings and photos to illustrate the history of the hat. The second part focuses more on Borsalino itself and it's the portraits of the selected workers of the factory that is best part. I believe there are both English and Italian editions of this book. It was never reprinted and to find a copy, especially with the dustjacket still there, will set you back quite a bit. Any Borsalino fan would and should want a copy though. Highly recommended.
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
The history of the hat
Michael Harrison


Cover for The History of the Hat.jpg



Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 188 pages
Herbert Jenkins; First Edition (1 Jan. 1960)

A small book, but for someone looking for a reference work about every historical kind of hat imaginable this is a must have. The book shows its age, because it's just illustrated with these little pendrawings you see on the cover here, but the advantage to that is that each type of hat throughout history gets equal importance and attention.
Long out of print it might take a bit of searching, but you should be able to find a copy somewhere at a halfway decent price. Highly recommended.
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
Denton and the Archaeology of the Felt Hatting Industry
Michael Nevell, Brian Grimsditch, Ivan Hradi (Authors)

denton hatting.png



Paperback 105 pages
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council – 1 Jan. 2007

An excellent read; well researched and loads of pictures and illustrations. For us hat collectors it's not nearly large or comprehensive enough, but it's a small miracle that such a niche book exists at all. The hat manufacturers of the greater Manchester area in England were either located in Stockport (and can be found in Penny McKnight's book) or Denton. And in the latter case they can be found in this little book. Out of print and difficult to find, but worth a search. Highly recommended.

Maybe you could search for this book while you're at it:
DENTON-HAUGHTON-PUBS-History-Lancashire-Tameside-Inns-Alehouses.jpg


Looks like a good read as well.:)
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
Hats
Clair Hughes


clair hughes.jpg


Bloomsbury Visual Arts (June 1, 2017)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages

This is a beautiful book and well worth getting. It's certainly not all about millinery as the cover blurb suggests, but it covers the whole range of men's and women's hats and their history. A beautiful book with a large number of photos and illustrations. Still in print and again: well worth getting a copy. Highly recommended.
 
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Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
L'EREDITÀ DEI CAPPELLAI
MEMORIA, MITO E REALTÀ DI UN'AVVENTURA DEL LAVORO
Giuseppe Maria Longoni


Leredita-Dei-Cappellai-Memoria-Mito-E-Realta-Di.jpg


Paperback 192 pages
SilvanaEditoriale 2003

The book was published as part of an exposition of the same name, "the heritage of hatters - an adventure in labour" which ran from the 5th of may until the 13th of july 2003 in Monza, Italy. The book is in Italian, so you'll get the most out of it if you can read that language. It's heavily illustrated though, so maybe worth picking up for that part alone. The book focuses on the social circumstances of the industrialisation of hatting from the mid 19th century onwards and in particular the emergence of the Italian hat manufacturers and the organisation of their workers in unions, more or less trailblazing for other industries.
I've made a rough translation of this book in English (relying heavily on google translate- thank you very much). If you're interested, send me PM. No longer in print, but you should be able to find a copy somewhere. Highly recommended (if you can read Italian).
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
L'Arte dei cappellai
Giuseppe Maria Longoni

Larte-Dei-Cappellai-Lavoro-Imprese-Organizzazioni-Tra-Xix.jpg


Paperback: 408 pages
Archivio del Lavoro 2001

This is a bit of a tough one, because I have it, but haven't read it. It's very text heavy with 375 of the 408 pages consisting of just text and it is in Italian. The last 30 pages or so are statistics and photos. The author is the same as the previous book and the subject matter of this book is basically the same from what I can gather, but far more comprehensive. I'm sure there is a ton of interesting information in there, but I'd have to learn Italian first.
Long out of print, but if you can read Italian you can still find copies at a decent price.
 

Daniele Tanto

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,258
Location
Verona - Italia
I agree with Stefan on the advice, very difficult to fully implement, to read Longoni's book dedicated to Italian hatters. Libro.jpg They were a large workforce within the Italian economy from the early nineteenth century to the seventies of the last century. Organized in trade unions and very independent from other categories of workers, as representatives of a complete cycle of work, they have distinguished themselves for the union battles and for a widespread organization and mutual aid. I repeat that they were an extremely numerous category of workers and typically made up of both sexes, a condition not so common in Italy in those years. In this regard, in recent years I bought some volumes of the monthly "Il Cappello" which was the version tamed by fascism of the "Gazzetta dei Cappellai", a free and warlike organ of the hatters, understood as a workforce and not as a master's power.
Il Cappello totale 1.jpg
In the volumes of "Il Cappello" about twenty that I own, dated around the end of the 1920s and the beginning of the 1930s, in addition to the advertising of the producers that you occasionally see on some thread,
Il Cappello particolare 1.jpg
Il Cappello particolare 2.jpg
Il Cappello particolare 4.jpg there were articles on the fashion of hats,
Il Cappello particolare 3_modificato-1.jpg
indications on customs problems and related import taxes, quality and price of raw materials, as well as technical articles, very interesting and extremely rich in news on the construction of hats, machinery and every technical aspect of the processes.
Il Cappello particolare 5.jpg
I often wonder, when I look at these centenary pages, how many works have been lost.
Clearly the volumes are in Italian and very technical, but extremely explanatory on the Italian hat which was the world's largest producer and exporter in the golden years of hats.
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
I agree with Stefan on the advice, very difficult to fully implement, to read Longoni's book dedicated to Italian hatters. View attachment 417721 They were a large workforce within the Italian economy from the early nineteenth century to the seventies of the last century. Organized in trade unions and very independent from other categories of workers, as representatives of a complete cycle of work, they have distinguished themselves for the union battles and for a widespread organization and mutual aid. I repeat that they were an extremely numerous category of workers and typically made up of both sexes, a condition not so common in Italy in those years. In this regard, in recent years I bought some volumes of the monthly "Il Cappello" which was the version tamed by fascism of the "Gazzetta dei Cappellai", a free and warlike organ of the hatters, understood as a workforce and not as a master's power.
View attachment 417722
In the volumes of "Il Cappello" about twenty that I own, dated around the end of the 1920s and the beginning of the 1930s, in addition to the advertising of the producers that you occasionally see on some thread,
View attachment 417724
View attachment 417725
View attachment 417726 there were articles on the fashion of hats,
View attachment 417727
indications on customs problems and related import taxes, quality and price of raw materials, as well as technical articles, very interesting and extremely rich in news on the construction of hats, machinery and every technical aspect of the processes.
View attachment 417728
I often wonder, when I look at these centenary pages, how many works have been lost.
Clearly the volumes are in Italian and very technical, but extremely explanatory on the Italian hat which was the world's largest producer and exporter in the golden years of hats.
Beautiful volumes, Daniele! I imagine they are extremely difficult to find and don't exist in digital form, unlike the American Hatter publication which was digitized by Google.
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
Hats: Status, Style and Glamour
Colin McDowell


hats status style.jpg


Hardcover: 224 pages
Rizzoli; 1st Edition (October 15, 1992)

This is a nice and large volume with plenty of illustrations and photos. The layout and chapters are somewhat haphazard though and the emphasis is mostly on women's hats and design. Certainly not bad, but I wouldn't put it on top of the list. It's easy enough to still find a copy.
 

Daniele Tanto

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,258
Location
Verona - Italia
Beautiful volumes, Daniele! I imagine they are extremely difficult to find and don't exist in digital form, unlike the American Hatter publication which was digitized by Google.
Yes Stefan, they are difficult to find. I encountered some others volumes, but they are too much expensive even if I offered a "nice" amount of euros for the whole lot.
They are the most deep view in the Italian hatters way of work and life.
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
The top hat: An illustrated history of its styling and manufacture
Debbie Henderson


the top hat.jpg

Paperback – 77 pages
The Wild Goose Press (January 1, 2000)

Like the other books by Henderson this is well researched, well written and richly illustrated. I know I have this book somewhere, if only I knew where I put it:rolleyes:
It is out of print though. Copies can still be found, but asking prices are ridiculous. Still: highly recommended.
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
Stetson Hats & the John B. Stetson Company: 1865-1970
Jeffrey B Snyder (Author)


Stetson-Hats-the-John-B-Stetson-Company.jpg


Hardcover: 192 pages
(Schiffer Book with Values) – August 8, 1997

I'm sure many of the lounge members are familiar with this book. It's the best Stetson hat book around, which is unfortunately not saying much as there aren't many books around on the subject. The pictures are excellent with most of the hats getting a full page display. There's plenty of information about the Stetson history as well. The book is far from comprehensive though and seems strangely random in a way, as if the author just concentrated on the hats from his own collection. Still: highly recommended. No longer in print, but easy enough to pick up a copy.
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
Ceremoniel derer Huthmacher
Freidrich Friese (author)


ceremoniel derer huthmacher.jpg


Friedrich-Friese+Ceremoniel-der-Drechßler-Reproduktion-von-den-Originalen.jpg


Hardcover 100 pages
Leipzig 1710
facsimile reprint:
Edition Libri rari, Th. Schäfer Verlag: 1983

If you want to take a deep dive into hatmaking history this is the one for you. This small book comes as a facsimile reprint in its own little slipcase. Both the fact it's in (old) German and the original typeface make it quite a difficult read. It is fascinating though because it recounts what it would take to learn to be a hatter through the various ranks, with all its obligations, duties and expected moral attitudes right up to a master hatmaker. Not for everyone, but recommended nonetheless. Not that easy to find, but there are still copies to be found.
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
The Hat Industry of Luton and its Buildings (Informed Conservation)
Katie Carmichael, David McOmish, David Grech (Author)


hat industry of luton.jpg


Paperback: 104 pages
Historic England 30 maart 2014

It's exactly what it says on the tin. Very well researched and some nice pictures, but for anyone outside of Luton of limited interest to be honest. The interesting part is the general information about Luton's position in the straw hat industry, which takes up about half of the book. Luton seems to have quite an active historical society, because there have been several books published about Luton's hat industry. This one is quite niche though, so not for everyone. Copies can still be found for those interested.
 
Messages
18,494
Location
Nederland
Strawopolis: Luton Transformed 1840-1876
Stephen Bunker


strawopolis.jpg


paperback: 290 pages
(Publications Bedfordshire Hist Rec Soc, Band 78) Paperback – 1 januari 1999

Even better research, but even more niche than the previous book and without the photos or illustrations. So quite a struggle to get through to be honest. Can't exactly recommend this one. But if you really want you can easily find a copy.
 

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