Vintage Shoes by Caroline Cox, Harper Collins, $39.95

It’s not hard to appreciate a good pair of shoes…especially if they look every bit as stylish and elegant as they did 75 years ago. Caroline Cox’s book “Vintage Shoes” offers footwear mavens and collectors alike a deep and picturesque insight into the history of timeless shoes. Cox catalogs a wide array of the most popular and collectible shoes cobbled and manufactured in the last 100 years from Edwardian salamander shoes to Gucci gladiator sandals and everything in between.

What I love the most about this anthology is that you get great historical fashion footwear information alongside fun and colorful photos. It’s not just a pretty picture book; it’s a fun and informative guide to collecting and appreciating some of the greatest shoes ever made. Have you inhererited a pair of interesting raffia or cork platforms from your mom? They may be valuable Ferragamo’s…this guide will show you what to look for.

With a foreward by Christian Louboutin, “Vintage Shoes” is hands-down the most complete and compelling collection of shoes and the history of footwear in the last 100 years that I have ever read. Even if it was devoid of text, “Vintage Shoes” would still be a great book, simpy because of the richness and detail you get in the pictures. But I love the fun facts (like how many pairs of espadrille shoes Carmen Miranda had!) and had a hard time keeping it away from my girlfriends at work.

“Vintage Shoes” is the perfect holiday gift for the shoe fanatic who has everything (except that pair of $600 Manolo Blahnik’s she’s been ogling over). Check it out, but be warned; you may find yourself scouring thrift stores in search of a vintage diamond slingback, pump or wedge in the rough.