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Handbags: The Power of the Purse
by Anna Johnson, Eri Morita (Photographer)

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Product Details:
Paperback: 486 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.11 x 4.08 x 6.04
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company; (October 2002)
ISBN: 0761123776
Average Customer Review: Based on 9 reviews.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author:
Anna Johnson is the author of Three Black Skirts. She has also written for a number of magazines, including Condé Nast Traveler, Vanity Fair, Elle, Marie Claire, and Vogue UK and Australia. She lives in New York City.

Book Description:
The Bolide. The Plume. The Birkin-object of lust in Sex in the City. Celebrating the must-have accessory for the fashion conscious woman, HANDBAGS is an obsessive, irresistible visual extravaganza, featuring over 900 full-color photographs of the most luxurious, witty, covetable, talismanic examples of the bagmaker's art and history.
The iconic Hermès Kelly bag, made from first stitch to last by a single craftsperson. Judith Leiber's whimsical minaudières, Moschino's smiley-face bag, Elsa Schiaparelli's surrealist "bird cage," and the ne plus ultra of fashionable purses-the Chanel bag, reinvented for a new generation by Karl Lagerfeld. There are novelty bags, evening bags, sculptural bags, and class acts. Practical leather pochettes to carry a life, and elegant little reticules for nothing more than a credit card and a lipstick. Profiles of famous bagmakers: Jamin Puech, Kate Spade, Carlos Falchi, and the poet of utility, Bonnie Cashin, with her visionary "Cashin Carry" bags for Coach. Plus the anonymous Florentine artisans whose specialist leather workshops sprouted up in the 14th century.

A labor of love written by Anna Johnson, author of Three Black Skirts, HANDBAGS features over 900 bags from collections, museums, and designers around the world, most of them photographed in seductive full-color exclusively for the book. The perfectly matched complement to Shoes, HANDBAGS is about fashion, about desire, about secrecy, craftsmanship, art, and imagination as well as about the changing roles of women-everything that's packed into every important bag. Includes timelines, fascinating captions, and the "It" bags-anyone for a Fendi baguette?

All Customer Reviews
Avg. Customer Review:

Handbags: The Power of the Purse, September 15, 2003
Reviewer: LInda M Graham from Garibaldi Highlands, B.C. Canada
What a delightful little book. Don't buy another purse until you have a look through this little gem. Beautiful photographs.
Well written and a joy to behold for all who love purses.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH..., July 3, 2003
Reviewer: Tami Stephens (see more about me) from CA United States
I love purses and this little book is fantastic! The pictures are colorful and gorgeous! It's like a little wish book for grown-ups!

Great book for the money, February 26, 2003
Reviewer: thaobeba from Playa Del Rey, CA United States
I highly recommend this cute little book. It's packed full of pictures and interesting information regarding the history of handbags. It's very inspirational if you're looking to going into the handbag business and want to read about some of the famous designers and their start in the business, and see all the different styles of handbags throughout the years.

Non plus ultra of the handbag books..., February 17, 2003
Reviewer: divish from Bayamon, Puerto Rico USA
Wao! I have collected purses and shoes since I was 13. This book is incredibly complete. The photographs are awesome and the descriptions incredibly accurate! I would buy to give as a very very good present to anyone that enjoys handbags, purses and shoes!

Purse Princess., February 10, 2003
Reviewer: evilvette (see more about me) from Stone Mountain, GA United States
I am a known shoe queen and purse princess. I bought this book for a fellow princess and thumbed through it before I wrapped it up. It's a nice little book for any handbag lover.

A Must-Have for Anyone who Loves Fashion, February 9, 2003
Reviewer: Peyton from Alabama
This little book is a must-have for anyone who loves fashion. The full-color photographs depict the history of the accessory many of us can't live without-- the handbag. You'll get to see purses dating as far back as the 16th century, as well as those made by famous designers like Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Plus, each page also contains interesting details about the styles, designers, and purposes of the handbag throughout time. You'll be surprised at how many beautiful, interesting, and unusual purses fit into such a little book, and wish they were all in your closet! This book also makes a great gift, as its price is relatively low. You should order this book right away-- a great addition to your coffee table!

one size does not fit all!, January 31, 2003
Reviewer: rebeccasreads (see more about me) from Clallam Bay, WA United States
A big celebration of those containers in which we store all manner of useful things we think we'll need away from home, & which we hang from our arms & shoulders. This book comes in a handy bag-sized packet offering photos of the spectacular, the artsy, the bon ton & the whimsical.

The names of the handbag makers read like a who's who of haute & not so haute couture - from a 5th century Scythian pouch to Priscilla Snyder's Dragon grip. From European almsbags to imperial beaded evening bags; from pocket books & long pockets from 17the century American women to tapestry French bags & Ottoman reticules from the early 1800s. From pirate chests of the 1930s to wicker bags of the 1950s. From the supercalifragelistic colors & patterns of the 1960s to the leather & tooling of Turkey. From a Hermes saddlebag to a Vuitton bucket shoulder bag of today, see what has inspired & who have crafted these essential accessories. A fascinating, informative, colorful & well presented archive.

Great big "little" book!, January 3, 2003
Reviewer: A reader from North Royalton, OH United States
I just got this book for Christmas and I love it! It looks small, but it's chock full of info and beautifully photographed handbags. Anna Johnson really has a flair. I especially enjoyed the section on "How a Kelly Bag is Made." I highly recommend this for anyone who is into purses!

You May Never Look At A Handbag The Same Way Again.., December 31, 2002
Reviewer: webcat1 from Northridge, CA United States
This little book is loaded with beautiful pics of purses of all kinds. From the functional to the whimiscal (and there are some really off-the-wall ones included),you'll find it in here besides plenty of interesting facts about different bags and designers as well. I wish it had more "timelines", but, other than that,if you really appreciate the art of handbags (or know someone that does), this tome should be very appreciated.