Bella Cosa: Men's Hats

The book's primary focus is on Borsalino hats of the late 19th and 20th centuries, with a few earlier hats, foreign hats, and pith helmets included. The cowboy hat is given short shrift (on par with the coverage given to the fez), although this may be expected given the book's Italian emphasis and concentration on formal hats. Overall, the presentation is beautiful, with the excellent photographs characteristic of the Bella Cosa series. Anyone looking for design ideas will find a wealth of information here. The reason I could not give this book 5 stars is the almost total lack of information on straw hats -- the only mention is the straw boater. Given the Panama hat's place in history (and the fact that Borsalino has a line of straw hats), this is a serious omission.