DAVID KUNZLE
Sutton Publishing, Stroud, UK ****
This is a painstakingly revised and extensively updated version of David Kunzle’s 1982 book about corsets, tight-lacing and related fetishes.
Back then, British-born Kunzle, Professor of Art History at the University of California, regarded the corset as a unique expression of the collision between fashion and fetishism, while acknowledging that tight lacing as a social phenomenon was long dead.
However, in the two decades-plus since the first edition, much has happened to the relationship between fashion and fetishism, and the author has added many new sections to accommodate changes which he could not have originally anticipated, such as the impact of the internet.
The layout and typography of this book give it the appearance of an Edwardian medical manual, but don’t let that deter you. Kunzle’s academic thoroughness is matched only by his passion for the subject, and though he may not be that au fait with the modern fetish scene, his authority in matters of corsetry remains unchallenged. TM (Reviewed Jun 05)
www.suttonpublishing.co.uk
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