Shoddy is a word more associated with insults than anything else, but in this deep dive into the politics and history of textile recycling Hanna Rose Shell explores its origin in this field.  In this fascinating book Shell charts the rise and fall and rise again of the ‘Shoddy’ industry, the first industrial scale recycling, and how second hand fabric has gone in and out of fashion. From the Industrial revolution onwards use of virgin fabric was seen as both virtuous and sanitary. Shoddy is produced by grounding up old material, using a machine that was originally called the devil. The fact that it can be indistinguishable from new material has led to industrial espionage, political intrigue, classism and racism. Having read this book, you will never use the word shoddy or think about your clothes, the environment, sustainability, or the intermingled world around you in quite the same way again. Written by Hanna Rose Shell How does it come? Hardback. Approx. 21 x 16 x 2cm. Approx. 236 pages