Anon,
I'm no historian (as I've said many, many times) so I'm doubly glad that my esteemed colleague offered you a fairly complete synopsis.
To add my two cents worth, I might point out that shoemaking, as a Trade--a pursuit/endeavour engaged in by skilled and dedicated individuals--goes back reliably over 9000 years (the Fort Rock artifacts) and I think I heard something on the radio or read something on the Science Daily site to the effect that that has now been pushed back to 11,000 years.
Up until about 1860, the shoemaking industry--shoemakers and allied trades--employed more skilled workers than any other industry in the United States and was second only to agriculture for overall employment. And that predominence, in one form or another, continued right up to the turn of the 20th century.
Assuming your questions were asked in good faith, I would suggest that you start with Wright's
Romance of the Shoe. It is an easy read, sometimes humourous, and encompasses a broad swath of history...which gives you an overview.
In passing, I might point out that there are few Trades in our modern world that have as long and illustrious a history as shoemaking (a great deal of it recorded and verifiable)...how many insurance salesmen, or computer geeks...factory workers, taxi drivers,etc....do you know who can trace the roots of their careers/lives back 9,000 years and claim not one but two (maybe even more ) patron saints as benefactors?
Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC
http://www.bootmaker.com
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