SOLVED. Short story told from the POV of an English gentleman who bought a pair of boots from a cobbler that was too good. [s]

[Stephen]

I read this short story in about the 7th or 8th grade from a textbook collection that was probably old then. Not certain but the story was easily pre-1965.

It was told from the POV of an English gentleman who bought a pair of boots from a cobbler that was too good. The young gentleman buys his first pair of boots from this guy and really likes them primarily because they're comfortable and durable. He notices that the cobbler's business is doing poorly and buys several more pairs of boots from him though his originals are still wearing well. He even recommend the guy to friends but since the man's products wear so well, he (and the changing nature of fashions) gradually drives himself out of business.

In today's throw-away world I'm continually reminded of this story but as often as I've tried googling and searching you-tube et. al. I've never been able to track it down.

Can someone help?

[Joseph]

Could this be the short story Quality, by John Galsworthy?

[Stephen]

Joseph wrote: "Could this be the short story Quality, by John Galsworthy?"

Yes!. Thank you. This one has been bugging me off and on for years now. I found a copy on Gutenburg.org While the cover is from a text much older than the one I recall, several of the stories are the same. I've got some re-reading to do.


Can a moderator now move this to the SOLVED folder.

[Joseph]

Glad to help!