Old Sewing Machines (Shire album)

This is a very informative book for those who are interested in old sewing machines. It is very well laid out. Excellent service.

Perfect.

Interesting little book. Doubtful whether anyone would be able to find and example of the machines described except in a museum or private collection. It tends to be more about the very old and rare machines of the mid 19th century. Quite good on the invention and history though. I got my copy second hand from Ebay.

I got this sweet little book for my sister for her birthday as she's a dressmaker, so for someone like her 'in the trade' it's great. But for someone like me who uses a sewing machine occasionally, it could do with a few colour photos to make it a bit more visually appealing (all the photos and drawings are in black and white). There's lots of writing that I have to admit I didn't really skim-read as it was a present, but like all Shire books I'm sure it's very interesting and informative and my sister will probably read it and be better informed about the history of the equipment she uses all the time. There's some really lovely old advertisments reproduced in there, and it's generally a lovely and charming little book. The lack of colour illustrations is the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.