The Sports Shoe

Part of the charm of this meticulously researched and beautifully produced book is that, for many of us, our first sports shoes carry the same kind of emotional charges as our first movies or our first records. * Times Literary Supplement *
No mere history of shoemaking in the modern world, what Turner provides is a novel angle on the history of globalization, manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and the marketing of desire ... A big and beautiful book that is a valuable contribution to a cultural history of the modern world. * Journal of British Studies *
Apart from the forensically researched history, the book is opulently illustrated with eye candy galore and insights that reveal why both certain stylistic abominations as well as enhancements have been implemented and sold over the years. The fact that the book pursues a holistic approach and goes beyond the realm of what collectors and athletes would look for in terms of looks, form and function; i.e. shedding light on societal contexts and interactions and thereby expanding its significance, makes it a both educational and entertaining addition for the bookshelf of anyone not only interested in fashion but anyone who has enjoyed a sports shoe in one form or another * Scene Point Blank *
Beautifully chronicling over 100 years of the sports shoe, this is the most intricately detailed love letter to the sneaker ever written. * Jason Coles, author of 'Golden Kicks: The Shoes that Changed Sport' *
With his thorough scholarship and wide-ranging research, Thomas has written a definitive history of the sports shoe. This a book to be enjoyed by historians of dress, economics, and technology, as well as sport enthusiasts and sneaker aficionados alike. * Amber Butchart, fashion historian and author, and presenter of the BBC's 'A Stitch in Time' *
This is an enjoyable, absorbing and instructive book ... Indeed, Turner’s approach – his imaginative use of sources, his transdisciplinary approach and his focus on materiality and meaning – demonstrates that good sportswear history is simply ‘good history’. As such, I wholeheartedly recommend Thomas Turner’s book not only to sneakerheads and sports historians, but to scholars of all stripes. * Sport in History *
A beautifully illustrated and thoroughly researched history ... If you want to know anything about the sport shoe, you must read this book. Just do it! * Giorgio Riello, author of 'Cotton: The Fabric That Made the Modern World' and 'A Foot in the Past: Consumers, Producers and Footwear in the Long Eighteenth Century', and University of Warwick, UK *
We all wear them. How did the sports shoe become so ubiquitous? Telling the story of its rise and transformation, this is an original contribution to the study of material and popular culture. * Frank Trentmann, author of 'Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers' and 'Free Trade Nation: Consumption, Civil Society and Commerce in Modern Britain', and Birkbeck, University of London, UK *
A highly readable book of interest to anyone who has ever laced up a trainer. Lavishly illustrated, meticulously researched, and fluidly written ... a rich and surprising history of modernity. * Marybeth Hamilton, author of 'In Search of the Blues' *
Thomas Turner has written a necessary book on the cultural history and impact of sports shoes. This is a great read for anyone interested in how a piece of sports equipment could transcend its original purpose and become a staple of everyday life. * Samuel Smallidge, Archivist, Converse *
Extremely well-researched, wide-ranging, and engaging, this tremendous new book explores one of today’s most important forms of footwear. * Elizabeth Semmelhack, author of 'Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture' and 'Shoes: The Meaning of Style', and Senior Curator, Bata Shoe Museum, Canada *
Entertaining, passionate and wonderfully illustrated, this book places sports shoes within their wider social context so we can all truly appreciate their significance. * Rebecca Shawcross, author of 'Shoes: An Illustrated History', and Senior Shoe Curator, Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, UK *
This engaging story of how the sports shoe went from functional to fashionable reveals how so many of us came to long for the latest in footwear. * Gary Cross, author of 'Consumed Nostalgia: Memory in the Age of Fast Capitalism' and 'An All Consuming Century: Why Commercialism Won in Modern America', and Penn State University, USA *
Taking you on the fascinating journey of the sports shoe, this book provides sound insight into the essential relationship between form, function and innovation in design. Beyond sports shoe fans, it's a great read for anyone interested in fashion, product design, history or, frankly, anyone who has felt the liberation of wearing sports shoes in everyday life. * Claudine Rousseau, Head of Atelier, Rapha Racing *
The rise of sports shoes is a fascinating story, told here with enthusiasm and in-depth knowledge. Whether you are a student of fashion, a sports enthusiast or a ‘sneakerhead’, you'll enjoy this excellent book. * Chris Hill, Northampton University, UK *
For anyone who doubted the importance of the sports shoe to contemporary fashion, Thomas Turner's comprehensive study is essential reading ... The book is not only rigorous and intellectual, but also entertaining and accessible. * Janice Miller, author of 'Fashion and Music', and Kingston University London, UK *