My spouse gave me a copy of Pockets by Hannah Carlson for the holidays. I understand why they thought I would like it: I enjoy microhistories, I have a casual interest in historical fashion and costuming, and I like it when my clothes have good pockets. I should have loved this book.
So what went wrong? Well, the problem is, Pockets apparently started out as an idea for a dissertation, and despite being published by a mainstream publisher, it wears its academic origins on its sleeve. It takes several hundred pages to not say very much, and gets weirdly theoretical about pockets and gender.
I don’t feel like I really learned anything about pockets that I couldn’t just as easily learn from an hour or less watching YouTube videos from dress historians.
This book does have a lot of full-color photos throughout, which was a nice treat. And because it’s an academic work, there’s a ton of sources and notes in the back — although oddly there’s no reference numbers in the main text, so you’re not prompted to turn to those resources while you read, and might not even realize they’re there unless you paid attention to the table of contents.
I could see this book fitting well into the library of someone with a specific interest in fashion history and theory, or garment construction, to have alongside other references. But if you’re looking for a fun, breezy microhistory, this isn’t going to scratch that itch.
TWs/CWs: Some discussion of misogyny, especially directed towards suffragists.
Format and Source: I read this in hardback. It was gifted by my spouse who purchased it at an indie bookstore on a recent trip.
Book Bingo Prompts
This book doesn’t really fit any specific prompts very well! So I’m using it to fill the Free Space on Nook & Cranny (Card 1) and Brick & Mortar’s Book Bingo. I never know if a Free Space is meant to be free, as in you get it for no effort, or free, as in, pick any book as a gimme. Except for with SAL/SPL, whose card has space to write in your book choices, and the Free Space is, ironically, filled in.
Current Bingo Challenge Progress
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 2 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 1 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.
Brick & Mortar: 4 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.