German Shoe Pr0n

The Japanese are the undisputed masters of shoe porn. I know of no other country that produces either the breadth or the depth of quality shoe pictures that the Japanese do, both online and in print. But other countries also put out some quality, XXX-rated stuff. The French have a few of magazines either substantially or partially about shoes (Pointure and Monsieur are the ones whose titles I can remember), and there is the fabulous Souliers.net website. And now the Germans weigh in with their entry: Alles über Herrenschuhe by Helge Sternke. This is a massive, coffee-table-style book, 559 pages long with lots of full-color glossy illustrations. But there is also a great deal of text, and it looks like it would be extremely interesting, if only I could read German. Here's the blurb on the back cover:

Alles über Herrenschuhe ist ein umfassendes Nachschlagewerk rund um den hochwertigen Herrenschuh. Die gründlich recherchierten Hintergründe sind für Kenner und Einsteiger gleichsam interessant, lehrreich und unterhaltsam. Der Spaziergang durch die unterschiedlichen Ledersorten, Schuhtypen und Modelle liefert wertvolle Insidertipps für die Auswahl des perfekten Schuhwerks. Mehr als 400 Fotos und Zeichnungen sowie ein umfangreiches Glossar machen den Band zum Standardwerk für alle Liebhaber klassischer Herrenschuhe. Neben den einzelnen werden auch die grossen Herstellermarken besprochen: [a list of many well-known ready-to-wear and bespoke makers]

Got that? If not, here's a Google translation:

Everything about men's shoes is a comprehensive reference work around the high quality men's shoe. The thoroughly researched backgrounds are for experts and beginners as interesting, informative and entertaining. The walk through the different grades of leather, footwear types and models provides valuable insider tips for choosing the perfect shoe factory. More than 400 photographs and drawings, and a comprehensive glossary band to make the standard work for all lovers of classic men's shoes. In addition to the individual will also be discussed big brands:

It certainly seems that, and I have never had more of an urge to learn German. It was very expensive; but it's worth it, at least to me.

Shoe Pr0n

Shoe enthusiasts refer to pictures of particularly attractive shoes as shoe porn. There are shoe enthusiasts all over the world, of course, and there are many different sources of shoe porn. The Japanese, though, are the undisputed masters of the genre. They have websites that will make your mouth water, if you're a shoe enthusiast. They also put out magazines. Men's Ex The World of High End Shoes and Last magazine. There is a considerable amount of text in these magazines; but it's in Japanese, which I don't read. Therefore, I'm only in it for the pictures. In order to get Last, you have to go to a Japanese bookstore (there is apparently one in New York) or have a friend who will go to a Japanese bookstore or know someone who visits Japan regularly. It's a bit challenging, but it can be done. Men's Ex, however, that's a lot easier. All you need is Amazon.co.jp for that. There, all you have to do is to figure out how to register, order, and pay for the magazine in Japanese. And even though the shipping costs more than twice what the magazine costs, you too can have it delivered to your door in less than a week. And why wouldn't you? Doesn't everyone want to see pictures of shoes made on such old-time Edward Green lasts as the 88, 33, 32, and 201? That's right, the 201. No, not the 202. The 201. If that isn't worth $40, I don't know what is.