Fashions in Eyeglasses: From the Fourteenth Century to the Present Day

“Fashions in Eyeglasses: From the Fourteenth Century to the Present Day is a surprisingly informative book, a comprehensive study into this category of what has become a staple fashion accessory.”

If you are in search of one of those fabulously photograph filled volumes on the subject of eyewear, then you need to move on. Mr. Corson however does offer up a painstakingly documented history of eyeglasses starting in the 14th century and ending in the present day.

The book is illustrated with copies of artwork, mostly engraving and engraving type illustration, which quite literally illustrate the history of which he writes.

Having had some less than pleasant experience with volumes such as this, this reviewer approached the book with great hesitancy but was completely surprised that it is not the “dry” read that I thought it would be. Mr. Corson, while dispensing from an unlimited reservoir of knowledge on the topic, manages to offer plenty of very interesting facts with regard to the development of eyeglasses and optical lenses through history.

What is greatly astounding is that eyeglasses, as we know them, really did not completely unfold until the 19th century, with very crude forms of eyewear previous to those years. For almost 700 years the development of eyeglasses was in its infancy.

Also interesting is the tidbit about how eyeglass cases denoted social and economic standing once the decoration and base materials were figured into the equation.

Fashions in Eyeglasses: From the Fourteenth Century to the Present Day is a surprisingly informative book, a comprehensive study into this category of what has become a staple fashion accessory.

The sad part is that while the black and white illustrations lend a more serious complexion to the story, steeping it in history in a sort of Dickensian fashion, Fashions in Eyeglasses: From the Fourteenth Century to the Present Day might have been even more enjoyable if the black and whites had segued into actual product photographs once the history moved into more contemporary times.

Also, these “engravings” are quite confusingly labeled by plate number and illustration number, forcing the reader to try to locate the references while reading, as they are not consistently on the same page as the text they reference.