Books in the The History of Retailing and Consumption series

Talks about how people perceived retailing in the early-modern period, both as it were as onlookers, artists and commentators, and as participants. Centred around the general theme of perceptions, this book addresses looks at a different aspect of consumption.

From Physick to Pharmacology addresses the important, albeit neglected history of the distribution and sale of medicinal drugs in England from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century. The social history of early medicine and the evolution of British retailing are two areas that have attracted considerable attention from academics in recent years. That said, little work has been done either by medical or business historians on the actual retailing of drugs. This book merges the two themes by examining the growth in the retailing of medicinal drugs since late-medieval times. The six academics contributing essays include both medical and business historians who provide an informed and stimulating perspective on the subject. After an introduction setting out the context of drug retailing and surveying the current literature, the volume is arranged in a broadly chronological order, beginning with Patrick Wallis''s study of apothecaries and other medical retailers in early modern London. The next chapter, by Louise Hill Curth, looks at the way the distribution network expanded to encompass a range of other retail outlets to sell new, branded, pre-packaged proprietary drugs. Steven King then examines various other ways in which medicines were sold in the eighteenth century, with a focus on itinerant traders. This is followed by pieces from Hilary Marland on the rise of chemists and druggists in the nineteenth century, and Stuart Anderson on twentieth-century community pharmacists. The final essay, by Judy Slinn, examines the marketing and consumption of prescription drugs from the middle of that century until the present day. Taken together, these essays provide a fascinating insight into the changes and continuities of five centuries of drug retailing in England.

Throughout history, fashion has emerged as one of the most powerful driving forces determining the political, economic and social ramifications of the production, distribution and circulation of goods. Indeed fashion, especially in relation to clothing and textiles, shapes the relationship between self and society in unique ways. In this light, the collected papers in this volume position fashion as the lens - the critical mediating force - through which to analyse and understand cultural, economic and political shifts within a broad spectrum of societies in Europe, Asia, Africa and America from the seventeenth to twenty-first centuries. Topics include a seventeenth-century failing fashion region, the material politics of marketing American abolitionist fashions, the construction of a fashionable ethos for French perfumes, and the use and meanings of clothing and textiles in the politics of Nigerian silk robes and early modern domestic décor in Europe. This volume represents an important shift in scholarship towards a more in-depth understanding of the role of fashion in early modern and modern times and will appeal to international readers interested in material culture, fashion, consumer studies and cultural anthropology, among other areas.

Addressing the subject of clothing in relation to such fundamental issues as national identity, social distinction, gender, the body, religion and politics, Clothing Culture, 1350-1650 provides a springboard into one of the most fascinating yet least understood aspects of social and cultural history. Nowhere in medieval and early modern European society was its hierarchical and social divisions more obviously reflected than in the sphere of clothing. Indeed, one of the few constant themes of writers, chroniclers, diarists and commentators from Chaucer to Pepys was the subject of fashion and clothes. Whether it was lauding the magnificence of court, warning against the vanity of fashion, describing the latest modes, or decrying the habit of the lower orders to ape the dress of their social superiors, people throughout history have been fascinated by the symbolism, power and messages that clothes can project. Yet despite this contemporary interest, clothing as a subject of historical enquiry has been a largely neglected field of academic study. Whilst it has been discussed in relation to various disciplines, it has not in many cases found a place as a central topic of analysis in its own right. The essays presented in this volume form part of a growing recent trend to put fashion and clothing back into the centre ground of historical research. From Russia to Rome, Ireland to France, this volume contains a wealth of examples of the numerous ways clothing was shaped by, and helped to shape, medieval and early modern European society. Furthermore, it demonstrates how the study of clothing can illuminate other facets of life and why it deserves to be treated as a central, rather than peripheral, facet of European history.

This book offers a valuable conjunction of retail history and consumption practices, which are examined through a multi- disciplinary approach to explore both their intimate connections and their wider roles in society.

Examines retail selling in various historical contexts and locations, as both an activity at once 'mundane' and almost universal. This book introduces the reader to the existing literature relevant to the subject; and explores the widespread perceptions of moral ambiguity surrounding the practice of selling consumer goods.

By investigating the changing nature of the retailing of menswear, this book illuminates wider aspects of masculine identity as well as patterns of male consumption between the years 1880 and 1939. It considers the relationship between men and activities which were widely considered to be at least potentially 'unmanly'.

Examines the important, but neglected history of the distribution and sale of medicinal drugs in England. This book examines the growth in the retailing of medicinal drugs from the sixteenth into the twenty-first centuries. The final topic covers the marketing and consumption of prescription drugs.

Based on extensive research into diverse trade sources, this work takes issue with the resilient stereotype of the "dull" and "out of date" shopkeeper of the early modern period. The author shows that the retailing sector was, in fact, well adapted to the social and economic needs of the day.

From Russia to Rome, Ireland to France, this volume contains a wealth of examples of the numerous ways clothing was shaped by, and helped to shape, medieval and early modern European society.

Intends to position fashion as the lens - the critical mediating force - through which to analyze and understand cultural, economic and political shifts within a broad spectrum of societies in Europe, Asia, Africa and America from the seventeenth to twenty-first centuries.

Drawing on social and economic history, gender studies , cultural studies, and the history of crime, this study study asks fascinating questions regarding the nature of consumer culture and how society reacts to the challenges this creates.

Analyses the ways in which the agencies and discourses of the retail environment mesh with the processes of physical and imaginative re-creation that constitute the domestic space, teasing out the negotiations and interactions that mediate this arena.

Pays attention to specific moments in consumer mobilization and expertise, capturing the range of types of expert consumers across the twentieth century, from ethical consumer groups at the beginning, to intellectuals, housewives, economists and public officials. This book addresses questions on the nature of consumer organizing.

There has been a great deal of interest in masculine clothing, examining both its production and consumption, and the ways in which it was used to create individual identities, from 1850 onwards. This book studies the interaction between producers and consumers at a key period in the development of the ready-made clothing industry.