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The Man in the Bowler Hat: His History and Iconography
Reflects a new understanding of modernism by following the fortunes of a single item of fashion.
"When Fred Miller Robinson tugs the bowler from the closet in The Man in the Bowler His History and Iconography , a wealth of cultural and social baggage comes tumbling out after it.-- Esquire
"Entertaining and enlightening. . . . A scholarly, thoughtful, and well-documented cultural critique.-- Journal of Popular Culture
"A hundred years of Western culture pulled out of a bowler hat--it's quite a trick, and Robinson accomplishes it with considerable flourish.--Roger Shattuck, Boston University
"An attempt to penetrate the bowler's significance in art, literature, and life. . . . [Robinson] has ferreted out plenty of curious and varied information, he has some nice observations of detail, and he offers a good deal to enlighten and amuse.-- New Yorker
"A witty, well-written, scrupulously researched book that is a wonderful fusion of social history, cultural history, and something that falls between belles lettres and fiction.--Dore Ashton, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Originally published in 1993.
A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.
"When Fred Miller Robinson tugs the bowler from the closet in The Man in the Bowler His History and Iconography , a wealth of cultural and social baggage comes tumbling out after it.-- Esquire
"Entertaining and enlightening. . . . A scholarly, thoughtful, and well-documented cultural critique.-- Journal of Popular Culture
"A hundred years of Western culture pulled out of a bowler hat--it's quite a trick, and Robinson accomplishes it with considerable flourish.--Roger Shattuck, Boston University
"An attempt to penetrate the bowler's significance in art, literature, and life. . . . [Robinson] has ferreted out plenty of curious and varied information, he has some nice observations of detail, and he offers a good deal to enlighten and amuse.-- New Yorker
"A witty, well-written, scrupulously researched book that is a wonderful fusion of social history, cultural history, and something that falls between belles lettres and fiction.--Dore Ashton, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Originally published in 1993.
A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.
198 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
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April 12, 2010
This is the kind of book I'd love to write myself. Tremendously well researched, Fred Miller Robinson follows the bowler hat from its birth in the mid 19th century as a stylish hard hat of sorts for the working man, and through the 20th century as its function and symbolism gains complexity with its enduring popularity. Its use in fiction (Waiting for Godot, The Unbearable Lightness of Being), painting (Margitte, Seurat), theater and film (vaudeville, Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy), all contributed to its implied class liquidity.
My hunt for a brown bowler is renewed with a vengeance after reading this.
My hunt for a brown bowler is renewed with a vengeance after reading this.
Displaying 1 of 1 review