The Art of Boot and Shoemaking

This 1885 classic by John Bedford Leno (1826–94) includes over 100 diagrams and illustrations inside the following chapters: 


1. Historical 

2. The Anatomy of the Foot 

3. The Foot:—Its Ailments, and Their Remedies 

4. Measurement 

5. Lasts 

6. Fitting Up the Last 

7. Choice and Purchase of Materials 

8. Cutting Out 

9. Fitting and Closing 

10. Boot and Shoemaking: Men’s Work 

11. Boot and Shoemaking: Women’s Work 

12. Leggings and Gaiters 

13. Mending 

14. Furring 

15. Bows and Rosettes 

16. Boot and Shoe Armour: Tips, Plates, and Nails 

17. Kit-Cutting 

18. Sharpening Knives and Awls 

19. Special Operations 

20. Boot and Shoe Machines 

2.1 Leather Cutting, Splitting, and Rolling Machines 

22. Machines Employed for Preparatory Processes—Upper Splitting and Skiving 

23. Upper Closing and Sole Attaching Machines 

24. Machines for Building, Moulding, Attaching, Breasting, and Finishing Heels 

25. Machines Used for Levelling Seams of Uppers, Edge Setting, and Levelling and Buffing Bottoms 

26. Useful Receipts for Shoemakers 

27. Conclusion