The Various Styles of Clothing

2001
•
Author:

François Deserps
Sara Shannon, editor
Translated by Sara Shannon
Introduction by Carol L. Urness

A fascinating collection of fashions of the sixteenth century.

In 1562, François Deserps published a book titled (in English translation) "A Collection of the various styles of clothing which are presently worn in countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the savage islands, all realistically depicted." Based on information Deserps claimed to have received from travelers about the garments worn by people from distant lands, this collection has been called the earliest book published in France on ethnography and costume. This beautifully produced facsimile edition includes full-color illustrations, translations of the verses and the original introductory material by Sara Shannon, and an introduction by Carol Urness.

Charming.

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Bibliotheque d’Humaisme et Renaissance

In 1562, François Deserps published a book titled (in English translation) "A Collection of the various styles of clothing which are presently worn in countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the savage islands, all realistically depicted." Based on information Deserps claimed to have received from travelers about the garments worn by people from distant lands, this collection has been called the earliest book published in France on ethnography and costume. It was originally intended to be read by children, specifically the eight-year-old Henry of Navarre, the future King Henry IV. In it, clerics, aristocrats, soldiers, peasants, men, women, and even a few monsters are pictured in 121 woodcut illustrations, each accompanied by four lines of verse describing some aspect of the person or clothing portrayed.

This beautifully produced facsimile edition includes full-color illustrations, translations of the verses and the original introductory material by Sara Shannon, and an introduction by Carol Urness.

Distributed for the James Ford Bell Library, University of Minnesota

François Deserps lived in Paris in the mid-sixteenth century. He was involved in the book trade, as a bookseller as well as a writer.

Sara Shannon has studied medieval history at the University of Minnesota, the Sorbonne, and Columbia University.

Charming.

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Bibliotheque d’Humaisme et Renaissance

A valuable, and handsome, contribution to our knowledge of the early modern world view.

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Medium Aevum