No matter what your interest in the 14th century, this book is a "must have." Ms. Newton's work was well known in costuming circles prior to this long-awaited paperback release, but it was also nearly impossible to find. Hardcover copies typically sold for around $100 on the rare occassions that they could be found.

This valuable resource is now available in a mass-market edition. Tracing fashion during the course of the 14th century, Ms. Newton discusses trends in fashion on a decade-by-decade basis, not only in the general cut of the clothes but with some detail regarding underwear, shoes, accessories, and the like. She includes a chapter on clothing for tournament and knightly orders, something that has a special appeal for tournament society participants, especially since most of them emphasize the 14th century.

Though the book does contain illustrative photographs, it is not a picture book, but is rather one that should be read. Ms. Newton's text is decidedly readable, her footnoting excellent, and the line between supposition and established fact well maintained. I cannot praise this work highly enough!

1. 1340's: A New Fashion
2. What they said about it
3. The Great Wardrobe and the Round Table
4. English and French Royal Clothing in the 1340s
5. Court Dress after Crecy
6. Tournaments and Orders of Chivalry
7. Fashions after Poitiers
8. Livery and the Dress of the Poor
9. Actors, Minstrels and Fools
10. National Traits and Deviations from the Dress of the Period
11. Fashion in works of Art
12. Postcript

Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince
Stella Mary Newton
Boydell & Brewer, 1980
Reissued in paper, 1999
ISBN 0-85115-767-x (paperback)
$35.00

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