The everyday need for a buttonhook began in the early nineteenth century when it was used to fasten leather button boots. However, it was in the 1880s that saw the development of a wide range of buttonhooks in varying sizes, shapes and materials, following the fashion for a line of buttons on ladies" gloves. Shoehorns were frequently produced as companions to buttonhooks and are still in widespread use. Like the buttonhook, a wide range of shoehorns have been produced. A perfect companion for any collector, this book examines and describes the design and evolution of both buttonhooks and shoehorns throughout history.