Gloves Past and Present by Willard M. Smith audiobook.

Genre: history

In Gloves Past and Present, Willard M. Smith turns an everyday accessory into a surprising lens on power, faith, fashion, and work. Drawing on decades in the glove trade, Smith sets out to explain why gloves once carried the weight of ceremony and status: as emblems of royal authority, symbols in religious ritual, and tokens used to seal pledges, issue challenges, or confer honor. Moving across centuries, he traces how hand coverings evolved from practical protection into coded social signals that shaped etiquette and public life. The book then shifts from legend to craft, opening the workshop door on how gloves are designed, cut, sewn, fitted, and finished, and how changing tastes and technologies transformed the modern industry. Along the way, Smith highlights the people behind the product - artisans, merchants, and designers - and the economic networks that made gloves a global business. Part cultural history and part insider's guide, this is a spirited invitation to look closely at what you wear and discover the long human story stitched into it.

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Chapters (Approximate)

(00:00:00) Chapter 00

(00:01:47) Chapter 01

(00:15:10) Chapter 02

(00:32:38) Chapter 03

(00:55:08) Chapter 04

(01:14:59) Chapter 05

(01:33:46) Chapter 06

(02:02:21) Chapter 07

(02:23:49) Chapter 08

(02:43:16) Chapter 09

(03:18:01) Chapter 10

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