Publication Jan. 12, 2023 Quick, without looking it up. What's the difference between a $50 pair of jeans and a $500 pair? Nope, not telling. Nor am I telling you what goes into making the denim jeans we love. Let's just say, this book is an eye-opener in more ways than one.
This book goes into far more depth than I'd expected, not that I'm complaining. Author Purnell has obviously done extensive research, For instance, an early version of the fabric dates back to the 1500's when the term dungerees seems to have first emerged from a small village in India named Dongri. If you are like me, you'll be astounded to read the early dying process and what was involved, not to mentioned required. To be honest, my knowledge of blue jeans history pretty much started and stopped with the name Levi Strauss but, as it turns out, he didn't even come up with the rivet system that set the product apart from others. He just got in on the ground floor with the man who did.
And this doesn't even begin to detail why the denim trade was dubbed a "resource hungry beast" by some. Go ahead. Guess how many gallons of water were used to manufacture a single pair of jeans. What chemicals are used? Nope, not telling. You need to read this book. I'm never going to look at my jeans quite the same after reading this.
Of course, the ever changing styles and roles of blue jeans are detailed. President Obama even gets a mention for his wearing of "dad jeans" to throw out a first pitch at a ball game. Oh, I'm leaving out so many things. Seriously, if you're like me, a long time jeans fan, not to mention interested in not just history but the history of "things", you need to read this book.
Thanks #NetGalley and #BloomsburyAcademic for expanding my knowledge on an item I've always pretty much taken for granted. I'm going to be looking into some of the other books in the Object Lessons collection, that's for sure.
For blog readers, posting the press release for the book below.
Blue Jeans By Carolyn Purnell
The one-size-fits-all appearance of blue jeans hides a history of contradictions. Jeans are the perfect emblem for opposing values. They may seem like uncontroversial garments, but they can be nothing short of revolutionary. Over the course of their one hundred and fifty years, they have become a universal signifier, ready to fit any context, meaning, and body.
Once a symbol of American culture, jeans are now a global good. Levi Strauss made blue jeans in the 1870s to withstand the hard work of mining, but today they represent the epitome of leisure. In the 1950s, celebrities like James Dean transformed the utilitarian clothing of industrial labor into a glamorous statement of youthful rebellion. A few decades later, luxury jeans walked chic fashion runways. For some, indigo of blue jeans might represent freedom, but for workers producing the dye, it has often been a color of oppression and tyranny.
Surrounded by such contradictions, jeans are, at once, a garment that means everything and nothing. Blue Jeans considers the versatility of this iconic everyday item, revealing a world of significance beneath a superficial layer of anonymity.
This book is the latest in the Object Lessons series. Published in association with The Atlantic, it explores the hidden lives of ordinary things and what they can teach us about ourselves and the modern world.
Carolyn Purnell is a historian and writer. She is the author of The Sensational Past: How the Enlightenment Changed the Way We Use Our Senses.
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