This comprehensive, profusely illustrated book--with over 800 illustrations--documents chronologically, by century, more than 2,000 years of head coverings--a subject that encompasses many eras and nationalities. Used as protection against the weather (or against an enemy's weapons), as a badge of office, or as something to enhance the wearer's self-esteem, headgear not only includes hats of all shapes and sizes but also comprises crowns, wigs, tiaras, and helmets. The author's own drawings, deriving from period paintings, sculptures, and illustrations, accurately depict varied forms of headdresses, among them, conical shaped leather caps worn by the Danish in 70 b.c.; metal Viking helmets with horns; Flemish berets (1410) enhanced with a large feather; petite straw hats adorned with a rosette and narrow ribbons (1870); handsome English top hats (1957); as well as ecclesiastical headdresses, traditional and national styles, and non-European hats and head-adornment. An invaluable reference for designers, art students, and costume historians, this entertaining and literate survey will delight anyone with a special interest in headgear. Unabridged republication of the edition published by Richard Sadler Ltd., Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire, Great Britain, 1974. Glossary. List of Sources. Over 800 black-and-white illustrations.