Shops and Shopping, 1800-1914: Where, and in What Manner the Well-Dressed Englishwoman Bought Her Clothes

First published in 1964, Alison Adburgham's Shops and Shopping, 1880-1914: Where and in What Matter the Well-Dressed Englishwoman Bought Her Clothes is a rightly celebrated and groundbreaking contribution to the social history of retail selling.

Adburgham charts the Victorian origins and subsequent ascent of the 'department store', a mode of shopping that offered the customer an enviable selection of wares, a fixed price, and a recreational browsing experience that began with goods placed t...