A Century of Dining in Style (Herbert Press)

This is the ultimate style guide to 20th century dining andsocial history in the West, as reflected in popular recipes and typesof foods, what people used in the way of cutlery, tableware, and tablesettings, and trends relating to styles of dining (picnics,smorgasbords, etc.). The book is divided into decades -each decade is represented by a separate chapter. The text describesparticular political and social events of each decade that influencedthefood and dining styles popular in that period. These coverglassware, cutlery, crockery, and to some extent furniture andtextiles. There is information about which companies and designers werein vogue, and interesting magazine and newspaper advertisements fromthe time also feature. The result is a book which works on two levels - firstly as a glossy historical overview of the time, and secondly as a reference book to design icons of the period.It provides a fascinating and unique angle on social history, combinedwith a slice of 'retro' nostalgia, and will be an inspirational andinformative guide for social historians, students and collectors.International in scope, this book will be a visual delight for anyoneinterested in western design in general.