Nina Edwards

This was a very readable and surprisingly enjoyable book. I say surprising because I hadn't expected the topic to be so interesting. The author's encyclopedic knowledge of buttons is amazing and it is staggering to think of the possible origins of buttons being in 2000 BC Egypt.

It is also a window into collecting and collecting buttons in particular - it is noteworthy that this is a hobby that males also participate in!

Nina Edwards excels at providing the sociological and artistic meaning and context for buttons and the button industry.

As a result of reading this book, I look at each piece of my own clothing to see what buttons it has.

Unfortunately the proofreading leaves a bit to be desired - for example there are at least two errors on pp.34-35. And while it is excellent that an index has been provided, some of the things that I wanted to refer back to were not indexed - a pity.… (mere)