Book cover of The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives, 1660-1900

Book description

A New York Times Best Art Book of 2019

"A riveting book . . . few stones are left unturned."-Roberta Smith's "Top Art Books of 2019," The New York Times

This fascinating and enlightening study of the tie-on pocket combines materiality and gender to provide new insight into the social…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Pocket as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Small things have large stories to tell. Here the topic is a particular type of pocket: generously-sized containers tied on, usually hidden from sight beneath a skirt. Brought to life through surviving examples and depictions of their use, the passages from novels, diaries, court proceedings, and more are especially revealing (in every sense). Is the pocket the necessary accessory of the neat housewife, or an aid to duplicity and secret immorality? This thorough and attractive study has the answer.

If you love The Pocket...

Ad

Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Want books like The Pocket?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Pocket.

Browse books like The Pocket

Book cover of Basketry and Beyond: Constructing Cultures
Book cover of Textiles and Textile Production in Europe: From Prehistory to Ad 400
Book cover of Fringe, Frog and Tassel: The Art of the Trimmings-Maker in Interior Decoration

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,276

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Pocket, you might also like...

Book cover of The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More: A Great Wharf Novel

The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More by Meredith Marple,

The coastal tourist town of Great Wharf, Maine, boasts a crime rate so low you might suspect someone’s lying.

Nevertheless, jobless empty nester Mallory Cooper has become increasingly reclusive and fearful. Careful to keep the red wine handy and loath to leave the house, Mallory misses her happier self—and so…

Book cover of That First Heady Burn

That First Heady Burn by George Bixley,

Don’t mess with the hothead—or he might just mess with you. Slater Ibáñez is only interested in two kinds of guys: the ones he wants to punch, and the ones he sleeps with. Things get interesting when they start to overlap. A freelance investigator, Slater trolls the dark side of…

5 book lists we think you will like!