The Man in the Bowler Hat: His History and Iconography

Reflects a new understanding of modernism by following the fortunes of a single item of fashion.

“When Fred Miller Robinson tugs the bowler from the closet in The Man in the Bowler His History and Iconography , a wealth of cultural and social baggage comes tumbling out after it.– Esquire

“Entertaining and enlightening. . . . A scholarly, thoughtful, and well-documented cultural critique.– Journal of Popular Culture

“A hundred years of Western culture pulled out of a bowler hat–it’s quite a trick, and Robinson accomplishes it with considerable flourish.–Roger Shattuck, Boston University

“An attempt to penetrate the bowler’s significance in art, literature, and life. . . . [Robinson] has ferreted out plenty of curious and varied information, he has some nice observations of detail, and he offers a good deal to enlighten and amuse.– New Yorker

“A witty, well-written, scrupulously researched book that is a wonderful fusion of social history, cultural history, and something that falls between belles lettres and fiction.–Dore Ashton, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Originally published in 1993.

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