Three-volume survey of clothing, costume and fashion, presented through 640 essays, arranged alphabetically. Coverage includes the origins of clothing and body adornment, the development of fabrics and technologies, and the social meanings of dress, as well as representative costumes from a wide range of historical eras.

This indispensible guide to fashion provides in many entries detailed information on the life and work of every important designer from 1840 up to the present day, including not only couturiers (Yves Saint Laurent) but also shoe (Manolo Blahnik), hat and knitwear specialists, costume designers, jewelers (Elsa Peretti) and hairdressers. It also covers the fashion media (Gazette du bon ton), photographers (Norman Parkinson) and illustrators, influential art movements (Cubism), fashion terms, garmet and accessory styles, technical processes, and every kind of fabric, as well as personalities who have influenced fashion or promoted a style (Twiggy; Queen Victoria). International in scope, it is an essential sourcebook for designers, students, collectors and enthusiasts. Its full cross-referencing and wide ranging bibliography provide invaluable additional information.

Covers the full spectrum of foods that have been hunted, gathered, cultivated, and domesticated; their nutritional makeup and uses; and their impact on cultures and demography. It offers a geographical perspective on the history and culture of food and drink and takes up subjects from food fads, prejudices, and taboos to questions of food toxins, additives, labeling, and entitlements.

A three-volume survey of food and its place in human culture and society, presented through 600 alphabetically sorted entries. Features multidisciplinary coverage of such topics as comfort food, ethnicity and food, medieval banquets, and nutrient composition, among many others. Includes photographs, illustrations, sidebars, recipes, menus, and timelines. For students and general readers.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America covers the significant events, inventions, and social movements in American history that have affected the way Americans view, prepare, and consume food and drink. A collaboration of nearly 200 contributors from academia, industry, and the culinary world, the articles treat regions, people, ingredients, companies, advertising, historical eras, holidays and festivals, and political, scientific, and economic currents pertinent to American cuisine.