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Mr. Selfridge: The Showman of Shopping
If you lived at Downton Abbey, you shopped at Selfridge’s.
Harry Gordon Selfridge was a charismatic American who, in twenty-five years working at Marshall Field’s in Chicago, rose from lowly stockboy to a partner in the business which his visionary skills had helped to create. At the turn of the twentieth century he brought his own American dream to London’s Oxford Street where, in 1909, with a massive burst of publicity, Harry opened Selfridge’s, England’s first truly modern built-for-purpose department store. Designed to promote shopping as a sensual and pleasurable experience, six acres of floor space offered what he called “everything that enters into the affairs of daily life,” as well as thrilling new luxuries—from ice-cream soda to signature perfumes. This magical emporium also featured Otis elevators, a bank, a rooftop garden with an ice-skating rink, and a restaurant complete with orchestra—all catering to customers from Anna Pavlova to Noel Coward. The store was “a theatre, with the curtain going up at nine o’clock.” Yet the real drama happened off the shop floor, where Mr. Selfridge navigated an extravagant world of mistresses, opulent mansions, racehorses, and an insatiable addiction to gambling. While his gloriously iconic store still stands, the man himself would ultimately come crashing down.
Harry Gordon Selfridge was a charismatic American who, in twenty-five years working at Marshall Field’s in Chicago, rose from lowly stockboy to a partner in the business which his visionary skills had helped to create. At the turn of the twentieth century he brought his own American dream to London’s Oxford Street where, in 1909, with a massive burst of publicity, Harry opened Selfridge’s, England’s first truly modern built-for-purpose department store. Designed to promote shopping as a sensual and pleasurable experience, six acres of floor space offered what he called “everything that enters into the affairs of daily life,” as well as thrilling new luxuries—from ice-cream soda to signature perfumes. This magical emporium also featured Otis elevators, a bank, a rooftop garden with an ice-skating rink, and a restaurant complete with orchestra—all catering to customers from Anna Pavlova to Noel Coward. The store was “a theatre, with the curtain going up at nine o’clock.” Yet the real drama happened off the shop floor, where Mr. Selfridge navigated an extravagant world of mistresses, opulent mansions, racehorses, and an insatiable addiction to gambling. While his gloriously iconic store still stands, the man himself would ultimately come crashing down.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2007
244 people are currently reading
2179 people want to read
About the author
Lindy Woodhead
9 books18 followersLindy Woodhead worked in international fashion public relations for over 25 years. During the late 1980s she spent two years as the first woman on Harvey Nichols' board of directors. Lindy retired from fashion in 2000 to concentrate on writing; her first book, War Paint (Virago), a biography of Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, was published in 2003. She is a regular contributor to The Spectator and The Times Saturday Magazine. A Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts, she is married with two sons and lives in southwest London and southwest France.
Source: http://www.profilebooks.com/lindy-woo...
Source: http://www.profilebooks.com/lindy-woo...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
April 30, 2013
Having visited Selfridges several times, I was very curious about this book. It was delightfully entertaining and educational.
The biography traces Harry Gordon Selfridge's life and career, beginning with his youth in Chicago. He hones his marketing skills at Marshall Field's and, when his desired partnership is denied, he moves his family to London to start the store of his dreams.
Selfridge seems to have been the predecessor of The Experience Economy: Work Is Theater & Every Business a Stage, as he creates events to bring additional foot traffic into the store. On top of that, he was the first store in London to have a restaurant, which encouraged people to stay and shop longer. He invented what we now think of as window dressing (and the Selfridges windows remain amazing, year in and out), which enticed even more shoppers to come in side.
He was not the most shrewd businessman who ever lived, and had a tendency toward profligacy with actresses and gamblers. The book doesn't pull any punches about this aspect of his life, which just gives a better picture of the man.
I enjoyed this thoroughly and would actually recommend it to anyone who works in retail. The information on Selfridge's attitudes about customer service and shopper's experiences is invaluable.
The biography traces Harry Gordon Selfridge's life and career, beginning with his youth in Chicago. He hones his marketing skills at Marshall Field's and, when his desired partnership is denied, he moves his family to London to start the store of his dreams.
Selfridge seems to have been the predecessor of The Experience Economy: Work Is Theater & Every Business a Stage, as he creates events to bring additional foot traffic into the store. On top of that, he was the first store in London to have a restaurant, which encouraged people to stay and shop longer. He invented what we now think of as window dressing (and the Selfridges windows remain amazing, year in and out), which enticed even more shoppers to come in side.
He was not the most shrewd businessman who ever lived, and had a tendency toward profligacy with actresses and gamblers. The book doesn't pull any punches about this aspect of his life, which just gives a better picture of the man.
I enjoyed this thoroughly and would actually recommend it to anyone who works in retail. The information on Selfridge's attitudes about customer service and shopper's experiences is invaluable.
March 15, 2013
As someone drawn to this book because I so enjoyed the tv series based on it I didn't know what to expect. For those looking for a pure biography of the man it is not, it is much more. It gives you hints about Selfridge his life to a point but it also sets it in historical context. Putting things in the right place unlike the tv series did. His wife must have been a very strong articulate women as she had her own interests in building and architecture. Sadly in the series she is not given the chance to grow in fact she is a somewhat background person. With her husband she must have been very patient.
Selfridge seemed to get up to a lot has a lot of fingers in every pie and as someone who worked in retail and loved it we have to be grateful to him for some innovations but not the late night shopping and sales !!
Selfridge comes across from the reading of this as someone who wanted to be loved and in the limelight an entertainer a showman and he is described as such. Also though I sensed a sadness maybe it was his childhood years that caused this who knows. I cried at the end because of what happened to him a very sad life end. I won't spoil it here but I did not know his story and I am so glad now I do. How the mighty fall is all I will say . Yes Mr Selfridge has a soft spot in my mind and always will.
This book is not fiction its very well researched and very readable.
Selfridge seemed to get up to a lot has a lot of fingers in every pie and as someone who worked in retail and loved it we have to be grateful to him for some innovations but not the late night shopping and sales !!
Selfridge comes across from the reading of this as someone who wanted to be loved and in the limelight an entertainer a showman and he is described as such. Also though I sensed a sadness maybe it was his childhood years that caused this who knows. I cried at the end because of what happened to him a very sad life end. I won't spoil it here but I did not know his story and I am so glad now I do. How the mighty fall is all I will say . Yes Mr Selfridge has a soft spot in my mind and always will.
This book is not fiction its very well researched and very readable.
April 10, 2013
Harry Selfridge was a truly remarkable man. Nicknamed "Mile-a-minute" Harry on account of his dynamism and ideas, he inspired and delighted most of those he met. His working life was devoted to retail and his creativity and energy transformed shopping, both in Chicago and more significantly in London's Oxford Street where he opened and developed his iconic department store. What also shined through in this book, in addition to his genius for retail, was his humanity and kindness. He was not some hard nosed entrepreneur, more of a compulsive showman who lived life to the the full. He was also a risk taker and, incredibly, most of his bravura ideas paid off too. His Achilles heel was his largesse and the mismanagement of his personal finances - so much so that the ending, when it comes, is both tragic and brutal. I had a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye. That said, I also feel sure that Harry Selfridge wouldn't have had it any other way. An extraordinary life.
Although I am fascinated by the era he lived through, I was unsure whether a book about a man and his shop would hold much interest for me. I was pleasantly surprised - the book starts slowly however becomes more and more compelling - and, by the end, I'd concluded this is a really interesting, absorbing and enjoyable book. Lindy Woodhead's well researched book certainly does the man justice, and she contextualises his life well by detailing lots of interesting and relevant trends and social history happening throughout his era. Some of her digressions were less interesting, particularly in the early sections, before Selfridge's career really takes off. The best parts are those where Harry Selfridge is centre stage - even, when just reading about him, I found it hard not to fall under his spell.
Although I am fascinated by the era he lived through, I was unsure whether a book about a man and his shop would hold much interest for me. I was pleasantly surprised - the book starts slowly however becomes more and more compelling - and, by the end, I'd concluded this is a really interesting, absorbing and enjoyable book. Lindy Woodhead's well researched book certainly does the man justice, and she contextualises his life well by detailing lots of interesting and relevant trends and social history happening throughout his era. Some of her digressions were less interesting, particularly in the early sections, before Selfridge's career really takes off. The best parts are those where Harry Selfridge is centre stage - even, when just reading about him, I found it hard not to fall under his spell.
June 30, 2024
The department store--the once-revolutionary, then indispensable, now dying mainstay of high streets around the world--is a relatively recent development. Starting as hopped-up general stores in the late 18th century, they grew increasingly large and comprehensive by the late 1800s, reaching their zenith in the first half of the 20th century. One of the great architects of this retail apotheosis in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was also arguably the inventor of shopping as entertainment: Harry Gordon Selfridge. This book is the story of his rise and fall, and with him the revolution in merchandising he brought about.
Selfridge escaped the wilds of Wisconsin for Chicago in 1876 when he joined the staff of Field, Leiter & Company--better known by its later name, Marshall Field & Co. Over the next 25 years, he rose from stockboy to junior partner. He was a perpetual motion machine all his life, always ambitious and innovative, and always looking for the next big thing that would drive customers to the ever-growing, palatial State Street department store. When Marshall Field passed him over for a promotion, Selfridge retired with a fortune that could have kept him in whiskey and green fees for the rest of his life. Predictably, retirement didn't suit him. When he discovered that London didn't have a grand emporium like the ones in New York City and Chicago, he decided he'd build one of his own there. Selfridge & Co. opened on Oxford Street in 1909. London was never the same.
This background fills the first 70-some pages of this book; the rest is about Harry's adventures and misadventures in London. Mass merchandising in England (such as it was) was still rather fusty in 1909, having outgrown its general-store roots in scope but not in attitude. Bringing his unstoppable energy and showman's drives fully to bear, Harry made "Selfridge's" inescapable around town, in the press, and on Oxford Street itself, where he replaced a mess of potty shopfronts with a gigantic retail cathedral that still exists today.
The author catalogues all this activity--the building, the publicity stunts, the innovations--with an evident affection and admiration that luckily stops short of hagiography. She had full access to the store's extensive archives as well as a deep lode of primary sources. Her tone is warm and light (this is shopping, after all, not statecraft) and she pulls in supporting players when needed without letting the camera stray too far from Harry and the store. She sometimes turns her lens on the competitive environment in England to keep the store tethered to the world in which it had to operate.
The author doesn't stint on Harry's many failings, saving the book from becoming a whitewash. The showman in Harry often elbowed aside his inner businessman, dreaming up stunts that rarely paid for themselves. He was a sucker for a sob story and rarely did his due diligence before forking over his money. He was a compulsive--and unsuccessful--gambler, squandering vast sums in French casinos and the poker tables of English society until the casino at Monte Carlo cut him off in an overdue act of mercy. He had an over-fondness for pretty women, especially after his wife Rosalie died in 1918, and carried on serial liaisons with a string of very expensive lovers, all of whom cost him enormous amounts of money he didn't have to spare. The author documents all this in detail, following the confluence of these faults to his inevitable downfall.
I would've liked to have more pictures in the book, especially of the famous Selfridges display windows and of the store's interior. Much of the store's impact came from its visual contrasts with the competition, none of which we get to see. The end notes and bibliography are comfortably extensive, and the index is reasonably useful, a blessing given the size of the cast.
Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Selfridge is an ode to recreational shopping as well as a profile of a dreamer whose reach finally exceeded his grasp. Harry Selfridge is the kind of man usually called "larger than life"; in this case, the story justifies that description for better and for worse. If you're at all interested in the roots of modern mass consumerism or simply want to watch an essentially good man's virtues drive him to self-destruction, you could do way worse than this book.
Selfridge escaped the wilds of Wisconsin for Chicago in 1876 when he joined the staff of Field, Leiter & Company--better known by its later name, Marshall Field & Co. Over the next 25 years, he rose from stockboy to junior partner. He was a perpetual motion machine all his life, always ambitious and innovative, and always looking for the next big thing that would drive customers to the ever-growing, palatial State Street department store. When Marshall Field passed him over for a promotion, Selfridge retired with a fortune that could have kept him in whiskey and green fees for the rest of his life. Predictably, retirement didn't suit him. When he discovered that London didn't have a grand emporium like the ones in New York City and Chicago, he decided he'd build one of his own there. Selfridge & Co. opened on Oxford Street in 1909. London was never the same.
This background fills the first 70-some pages of this book; the rest is about Harry's adventures and misadventures in London. Mass merchandising in England (such as it was) was still rather fusty in 1909, having outgrown its general-store roots in scope but not in attitude. Bringing his unstoppable energy and showman's drives fully to bear, Harry made "Selfridge's" inescapable around town, in the press, and on Oxford Street itself, where he replaced a mess of potty shopfronts with a gigantic retail cathedral that still exists today.
The author catalogues all this activity--the building, the publicity stunts, the innovations--with an evident affection and admiration that luckily stops short of hagiography. She had full access to the store's extensive archives as well as a deep lode of primary sources. Her tone is warm and light (this is shopping, after all, not statecraft) and she pulls in supporting players when needed without letting the camera stray too far from Harry and the store. She sometimes turns her lens on the competitive environment in England to keep the store tethered to the world in which it had to operate.
The author doesn't stint on Harry's many failings, saving the book from becoming a whitewash. The showman in Harry often elbowed aside his inner businessman, dreaming up stunts that rarely paid for themselves. He was a sucker for a sob story and rarely did his due diligence before forking over his money. He was a compulsive--and unsuccessful--gambler, squandering vast sums in French casinos and the poker tables of English society until the casino at Monte Carlo cut him off in an overdue act of mercy. He had an over-fondness for pretty women, especially after his wife Rosalie died in 1918, and carried on serial liaisons with a string of very expensive lovers, all of whom cost him enormous amounts of money he didn't have to spare. The author documents all this in detail, following the confluence of these faults to his inevitable downfall.
I would've liked to have more pictures in the book, especially of the famous Selfridges display windows and of the store's interior. Much of the store's impact came from its visual contrasts with the competition, none of which we get to see. The end notes and bibliography are comfortably extensive, and the index is reasonably useful, a blessing given the size of the cast.
Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Selfridge is an ode to recreational shopping as well as a profile of a dreamer whose reach finally exceeded his grasp. Harry Selfridge is the kind of man usually called "larger than life"; in this case, the story justifies that description for better and for worse. If you're at all interested in the roots of modern mass consumerism or simply want to watch an essentially good man's virtues drive him to self-destruction, you could do way worse than this book.
June 1, 2013
I didn’t manage to catch any of the recent successful TV series Mr Selfridge when it aired in the UK, but it was based on this biography by Lindy Woodhead, and when my book club picked it as May’s choice of book I was intrigued to find out more about Harry Gordon Selfridge and his famous store. Harry was a bit of a pioneer in the retail world, a ball of energy, and incredibly creative and dedicated. He worked his way up in the department store Marshall Field’s in Chicago, which was developed and innovated to such a high standard that Harry felt he could go it alone, and hopped across the pond to London, where he opened his own store in Oxford Street.
“The whole art of merchandising,” he said, “consists of appealing to the imagination. Once the imagination is moved, the hand goes automatically to the purse.”
I have to admit, I was a little disappointed by this book. I found it interesting and enjoyed the early parts of his life in Chicago, and the initial opening chapters where he developed the store on Oxford Street. However, after this, I didn’t really feel we got to know the man that is Harry Gordon Selfridge – too much attention seemed to be focused elsewhere, on other characters. While I found this added to the book in a lot of ways, I felt Harry became a background, sort of elusive figure that strides the shop floors, spends a lot of money on pretty women, and little else of note. Things like his gambling addiction are never approached with any depth, and the ending although incredibly sad and poignant is quite rushed, and almost stuck in as an after-thought. I did find Mr Selfridge a thoroughly fascinating character, and would probably be interested in watching the TV series, but I just didn’t feel the book gave me enough to feast upon.
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.wordpress.com
“The whole art of merchandising,” he said, “consists of appealing to the imagination. Once the imagination is moved, the hand goes automatically to the purse.”
I have to admit, I was a little disappointed by this book. I found it interesting and enjoyed the early parts of his life in Chicago, and the initial opening chapters where he developed the store on Oxford Street. However, after this, I didn’t really feel we got to know the man that is Harry Gordon Selfridge – too much attention seemed to be focused elsewhere, on other characters. While I found this added to the book in a lot of ways, I felt Harry became a background, sort of elusive figure that strides the shop floors, spends a lot of money on pretty women, and little else of note. Things like his gambling addiction are never approached with any depth, and the ending although incredibly sad and poignant is quite rushed, and almost stuck in as an after-thought. I did find Mr Selfridge a thoroughly fascinating character, and would probably be interested in watching the TV series, but I just didn’t feel the book gave me enough to feast upon.
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.wordpress.com
February 7, 2013
This review is the result of winning a GoodReads giveaway.
To be perfectly honest, I saw the cover of this book and realized it was the book the series “Mr. Selfridge” was based on. I was planning on watching the show so I wanted to read the book. While the series says it is based on this book, it is heavily fictionalized. So don’t go looking for your favorite on-screen characters to make an appearance in the book. Only Selfridge, his family and some historical figures make the transition.
The book itself is the tale of a man’s love affair with his store as opposed to a biography. Harry Selfridge helped change the way the world shops. He was ahead of the times in understanding the art of retailing. That his boyhood hero was P.T. Barnum was no surprise. It was fascinating to read about both his innovations and the resistance to them. I couldn’t help wondering what Selfridge would have done with internet shopping.
In addition to the story of the man, you also get a tale of the times. When Selfridge started his store in England, Victoria was on the throne and women were encased in clothing. By the end of the book, it is World War II and everything is different. Reading about those changes gives a new perspective on history.
The writing is light and fun to read. It is rather gossipy at times. Lists of who attended parties are only marginally interesting without insight into the relationships with Selfridge. This is especially true for Americans who may not recognize many of the names of political and historical figures from England.
To be perfectly honest, I saw the cover of this book and realized it was the book the series “Mr. Selfridge” was based on. I was planning on watching the show so I wanted to read the book. While the series says it is based on this book, it is heavily fictionalized. So don’t go looking for your favorite on-screen characters to make an appearance in the book. Only Selfridge, his family and some historical figures make the transition.
The book itself is the tale of a man’s love affair with his store as opposed to a biography. Harry Selfridge helped change the way the world shops. He was ahead of the times in understanding the art of retailing. That his boyhood hero was P.T. Barnum was no surprise. It was fascinating to read about both his innovations and the resistance to them. I couldn’t help wondering what Selfridge would have done with internet shopping.
In addition to the story of the man, you also get a tale of the times. When Selfridge started his store in England, Victoria was on the throne and women were encased in clothing. By the end of the book, it is World War II and everything is different. Reading about those changes gives a new perspective on history.
The writing is light and fun to read. It is rather gossipy at times. Lists of who attended parties are only marginally interesting without insight into the relationships with Selfridge. This is especially true for Americans who may not recognize many of the names of political and historical figures from England.
July 27, 2013
This is an amazing story of a small town boy from Wisconsin who had a genius for merchandising.It is
also a book that traces the liberation of women from the restraints of excessive,uncomfortable clothing to the modern,much less cumbersome apparel of today. Harry Selfridge's story is a true "rags
to riches"story.
While impoverished in his youth,he took his innate business skills to Chicago where he became second in command to Marshall Field at Field's department store. He then took the skills which had
become second nature to him to London. There he revolutionized shopping when he opened and ran his
own department store,Selfridge's,for the first forty years of the Twentieth Century.
He had a genius for making money. He also had a genius for spending it. He could not resist courting beautiful women,nor could he stop gambling. Both of these characteristics would lead to his
ultimate downfall in social and financial position. Nevertheless,he could die in the knowledge that he
had had quite a good run for his money.
December 24, 2019
The man revolutionized shopping. I would have loved to see Selfridge's in its day. Even now, it must be something to see, with its famous window displays. Who wouldn't have loved a rooftop garden! You can take skateboarding lessons there these days. Sounds like a great place. As for the man himself, Woodhead presents him positively here, if a little eccentric. I'm sure he was a good boss. The end of his life was pretty pitiful, but a lot of that was of his own making.
October 18, 2014
This book provided some interesting insight concerning the life and character of retail pioneer Harry Selfridge. The creative and cutting edge entrepreneur who first made a name for himself at Marshall Field's before revolutionizing retail in London with his own iconic department store, had a a life that was colorful, to say the lest. This book carefully chronicles his life and the history of Selfridge's with impressive detail. The book does drag at times. Parts of the book are a little too academic with so much information about the evolution of the retail industry in America. However, it is entertaining and eye-opening. I recommend, this book, particularly to those who are fans of the BBC series "Mr. Selfridge".
April 23, 2013
If you've looked at my non-fiction shelves you know I find the history of retail totally fascinating and this book is an excellent entry in that genre. The Crawley sisters would definitely have shopped at Selfridges on their trips to London; but don't let the cover reference to the Masterpiece Theater series "Mr. Selfridge" lead you to expect a soap opera. This is a well-researched biography of the man, and because the store was pretty much his life, it's an excellent history of the store. Too bad it doesn't go on after Harry Gordon Selfridge is finally forced out, but that's not its purview. Every fact is in its social context so the book flows right along.
March 23, 2013
What I really wanted from this book was a glimpse into the changes in shopping that Selfridge brought around. What I got was a gossipy, disordered stream of prose that lacked clear information. Disappointing.
April 8, 2021
This is a nicely researched, very readable book. I didn’t come at it, it appears, because of the PBS series, and maybe that’s a good thing. Jeremy Piven’s Mr. Selfridge strikes me as markedly different in some ways from the Harry Gordon Selfridge in this book, and I found the book-based Mr. Selfridge much more complex and interesting.
What’s really fascinating, and what this book explores so well, is how Selfridge was brilliant in many ways (energetic, big-dreaming, with an instinctive knack for the growing role of showmanship in retail) and surprisingly weak in others (not much of a businessman, poor in financial management, easily swayed by beauty and flattery).
Given the author’s obvious research and skill in writing, there are some odd weaknesses. Some are minor, such as when she refers at one point to a “Bertha Potter Palmer” at one point (Potter was not Bertha’s middle name but the name of her husband.) As an American, there were a lot of street names and town names and public figure’s names thrown around that meant nothing to me, and kept stalling the reading.
It would have served the author well to remember that not all readers would be British and/or familiar with Great Britain. Many Chicagoans are fascinated by Selfridge’s story as well.
What’s really fascinating, and what this book explores so well, is how Selfridge was brilliant in many ways (energetic, big-dreaming, with an instinctive knack for the growing role of showmanship in retail) and surprisingly weak in others (not much of a businessman, poor in financial management, easily swayed by beauty and flattery).
Given the author’s obvious research and skill in writing, there are some odd weaknesses. Some are minor, such as when she refers at one point to a “Bertha Potter Palmer” at one point (Potter was not Bertha’s middle name but the name of her husband.) As an American, there were a lot of street names and town names and public figure’s names thrown around that meant nothing to me, and kept stalling the reading.
It would have served the author well to remember that not all readers would be British and/or familiar with Great Britain. Many Chicagoans are fascinated by Selfridge’s story as well.
March 4, 2013
This book is a tour de force. Full of fascinating facts and colourful people, it reads as a easily as a novel. Billed on the cover as "the true story that inspired the ITV drama", it's the non-fiction version of Harry Gordon Selfridge's life and the eponymous department store he created in London's West End 100 years ago.
Selfridge was an American who'd had a successful career in retail in Chicago when, in his early fifties, he brought himself and his family across the Atlantic to fulfil his dream of having his own luxurious department store - although he also invented the bargain basement. He was the supreme showman, who knew how to attract customers - and then some.
Meticulously researched, entertaining and informative, this book shows how important shopping and the experience of shopping became. The department store also gave women a place outside the home where they could respectably spend time. Author Lindy Woodhead also has the gift of making connections and setting people and events in context. A terrific read.
Selfridge was an American who'd had a successful career in retail in Chicago when, in his early fifties, he brought himself and his family across the Atlantic to fulfil his dream of having his own luxurious department store - although he also invented the bargain basement. He was the supreme showman, who knew how to attract customers - and then some.
Meticulously researched, entertaining and informative, this book shows how important shopping and the experience of shopping became. The department store also gave women a place outside the home where they could respectably spend time. Author Lindy Woodhead also has the gift of making connections and setting people and events in context. A terrific read.
May 1, 2023
Don't get me wrong, I like online shopping, but oh, how I wish I'd been there in the heyday of the big department store. I mean the behemoths where one could spend a whole day shopping for the latest in fashion, have lunch in luxury, and also get one's shoes mended, one's gloves cleaned, and one's pearls restrung. And have it all delivered. Why, just thinking about such awesomeness induces one to refer to oneself as "one". But I digress.
This dry account of Selfridge's in London gives a glimpse of such past glories. It's also sad in the revelation that, as much as we like to dwell on the good old days, nothing ever really changes. Political corruption, war-time marketeering, decadence, excessive lifestyles, and being famous for being famous were just as prevalent in the past as in the present. It's still the same. The wealthy rule.
This dry account of Selfridge's in London gives a glimpse of such past glories. It's also sad in the revelation that, as much as we like to dwell on the good old days, nothing ever really changes. Political corruption, war-time marketeering, decadence, excessive lifestyles, and being famous for being famous were just as prevalent in the past as in the present. It's still the same. The wealthy rule.
June 3, 2018
Reasonably enjoyable biography of the American founder of the Selfridge's Department Store in London. I found the earlier chapters, especially concerning Chicago and the rise of the Marshall Field Department store, to be especially interesting. By the later chapters, once he moved to London, it felt like the author engaged in a little too much name-dropping. I also question whether the author adequately investigated her claims that Selfridge brought many innovations to London retailing (not helped by this Audiobook's lack of any bibliographic information).
November 3, 2021
Hats off to the author's efforts to pull together all the facts. The attention to detail and wide range of sources used was evident and really did portray an adorable showman from all angles. I originally thought this might have Downton Abbey vibes but it is more than that because it is real history. Each name that popped up, John Lewis Mr Marks, Whiteley's and each pioneering idea, bargain basement, window displays, in store facilities made me realise just how significant that time and Harry Selfridge was and is to the way of consumer life now. Thank you Lindy Woodhead, I hope you enjoyed writing it as much as we are enjoying reading it.
January 9, 2023
I spent a good portion of my childhood in Lodon. My mother usually took us to Marks & Sparks for clothes we needed; Selfridges was only for very special occasions. I had no idea it was the vision of an American. What a fascinating read, even better than the television series.
December 8, 2024
A really interesting piece of history, but I didnt want to know that much about early 1900s society big wigs.
August 4, 2018
I was fascinated to discover the origins of the famous Selfridges store and surprised to learn that its creator was not an Englishman but an American who dazzled London ‘after twenty-five years working at the celebrated store Marshall Field & Co. in Chicago.’
Mr Selfridge’s understanding that women liked to be seduced into buying rather than badgered was significant to his success. He was enthusiastic, innovative, passionate about the retail business and a bold entrepreneur fertile with brilliant ideas. A man not afraid to take risks, a trait that put him ahead of the competition but which also had a tragic downside.
To my disappointment, the book was not an intimate reading of Harry Gordon Selfridge’s life and personality. Although we learn about Mr Selfridge, the world around him seems to dominate. I was intrigued by some of the historical background but found it a little dry at times and the meandering, into what was for me unnecessary detail, was irritating.
However, other readers may relish the depth of background and not mind the ‘unnecessary’ detail. The book certainly provides excellent knowledge of retail history in Britain and in general as well as the social context of the time (early 1900s).
I bought the ebook and added the audio via Audible. The narration by Peter Marinker was excellent.
Mr Selfridge’s understanding that women liked to be seduced into buying rather than badgered was significant to his success. He was enthusiastic, innovative, passionate about the retail business and a bold entrepreneur fertile with brilliant ideas. A man not afraid to take risks, a trait that put him ahead of the competition but which also had a tragic downside.
To my disappointment, the book was not an intimate reading of Harry Gordon Selfridge’s life and personality. Although we learn about Mr Selfridge, the world around him seems to dominate. I was intrigued by some of the historical background but found it a little dry at times and the meandering, into what was for me unnecessary detail, was irritating.
However, other readers may relish the depth of background and not mind the ‘unnecessary’ detail. The book certainly provides excellent knowledge of retail history in Britain and in general as well as the social context of the time (early 1900s).
I bought the ebook and added the audio via Audible. The narration by Peter Marinker was excellent.
September 17, 2013
I am absolutely enjoying this book! Having seen the PBS mini-series a few months ago I am fascinated about how all the "shopping stuff" we see today was pioneered in Paris, Chicago and London and how Marshall Field, Harry Selfridge and the like changed the face of retail. Well written and interesting. Having seen the series, I can also imagine Harry, his style, his passion, his women and gambling, and yet, his devotion to his mother, wife and children. Wonderful!
Had to finish this book so that Bob could read it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about "GH" and how dramatically he changed the shopping landscape during the early years of the 20th century. If anyone can be "blamed" for our shopping addiction, some blame could be put on Harry. Back in the day, women didn't shop in the sense that we do now, they couldn't touch the products and, if wealthy, didn't even carry their purchases home (they were shipped). GH brought the goods to the counters of the store, displayed merchandise so customers could touch it and try it on. He brought perfume and cosmetics to the front of the store (after Bon Marche) did in Paris.
Obsessive compulsive, yes; perfectionist, yes; unfaithful, yes; impulsive, yes. BUT, absolutely brilliant and a marketing genius. One of the first to use statistics to plan campaigns, brought the concept of the bargain basement to Marshall Field's where he worked for 25 years.
Great book!
Had to finish this book so that Bob could read it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about "GH" and how dramatically he changed the shopping landscape during the early years of the 20th century. If anyone can be "blamed" for our shopping addiction, some blame could be put on Harry. Back in the day, women didn't shop in the sense that we do now, they couldn't touch the products and, if wealthy, didn't even carry their purchases home (they were shipped). GH brought the goods to the counters of the store, displayed merchandise so customers could touch it and try it on. He brought perfume and cosmetics to the front of the store (after Bon Marche) did in Paris.
Obsessive compulsive, yes; perfectionist, yes; unfaithful, yes; impulsive, yes. BUT, absolutely brilliant and a marketing genius. One of the first to use statistics to plan campaigns, brought the concept of the bargain basement to Marshall Field's where he worked for 25 years.
Great book!
February 7, 2014
Not being a Londoner, Selfridge's is not a store I visit very often or indeed even think about. It was only after the ITV series Mr Selfridge began airing that this book came to my attention, and what an interesting little read it was. I never would have expected to become so engrossed in the history of a retail magnate, of business innovations, of a department store!
Harry Gordon Selfridge really paved the way for the art of shopping as we know it today. So many things that we take utterly for granted - promotional events, advertising blitzes, celebrity endorsements, bargain basements, floor-walkers, window displays - were all pioneered by Selfridge, first as Marshall Field in Chicago and then in his own eponymous store in Oxford Street. He became a celebrity in his own right; people would wait outside the store each morning just to see him arrive at work. And as many a celebrity before and since, he liked the glamorous life - the lavish houses, opulent parties, mistresses, jewels, yachts, casinos in France and Monaco.
After all, what is a good story with the cautionary tale, the tragic trajectory of rise-and-fall, the hero's own hubris and fatal flaw? Harry Gordon Selfridge became the victim of his own success, surrounded by sycophants and yes-men, believing in his own success and hype, ultimately dying in penury, ousted from the company that continues to bear his name.
Harry Gordon Selfridge really paved the way for the art of shopping as we know it today. So many things that we take utterly for granted - promotional events, advertising blitzes, celebrity endorsements, bargain basements, floor-walkers, window displays - were all pioneered by Selfridge, first as Marshall Field in Chicago and then in his own eponymous store in Oxford Street. He became a celebrity in his own right; people would wait outside the store each morning just to see him arrive at work. And as many a celebrity before and since, he liked the glamorous life - the lavish houses, opulent parties, mistresses, jewels, yachts, casinos in France and Monaco.
After all, what is a good story with the cautionary tale, the tragic trajectory of rise-and-fall, the hero's own hubris and fatal flaw? Harry Gordon Selfridge became the victim of his own success, surrounded by sycophants and yes-men, believing in his own success and hype, ultimately dying in penury, ousted from the company that continues to bear his name.
March 26, 2015
The PBS series on Selfridge's is very popular and conveys how the real Harry Gordon Selfridge's personality quite well. This nonfiction book goes into details about his early life in America and his life in England. While Harry became a lady's man in his later years, was addicted to gambling and loved spending beyond his means, he also loved his wife. He loved his children but did not spend much time with them and when the girls married, he paid all the bills for them and their husbands. His son, Gordon had a common law wife and 4 children and Harry ignored them until his elderly years. His son, Gordon was a playboy and having a wife and children did not stop him when gadding about in society and spending money freely, a trait he came by honestly. At the very end of his life, he was poor and no longer welcome at the store he made famous. He was buried next to his beloved wife and no one had any money to purchase a tombstone and the store he gave his life's ambition to didn't even think about placing one. A story of great wealth to poverty. This book was very factual and while documenting his amours, anyone looking for juicy details will be disappointed. This is the true story of Henry Gordon Selfridge.
February 20, 2014
Having glimpsed parts of the PBS broadcasted episodes, I was interested in reading the whole story. This is a very well done biography, but if you are looking for fast paced and similar to the broadcast version, you will be very disappointed.
Selfridge is a very driven man with incredible ideas that revolutionized the shopping experience. The photos included in the book are essential in visualizing the window and store displays, as well as the immensity of the building he constructed. But with every great man, small characters faults will destroy you if not controlled. His inflated opinion of himself helped him to overcome the naysayers in his path that would have prevented him from putting those extraordinary ideas to practice, but that same inflated opinion prevented him from seeing through those that used him.
I love reading about the revolutionary thinking that changes how we live our lives and conduct our business. This one did not disappoint.
Selfridge is a very driven man with incredible ideas that revolutionized the shopping experience. The photos included in the book are essential in visualizing the window and store displays, as well as the immensity of the building he constructed. But with every great man, small characters faults will destroy you if not controlled. His inflated opinion of himself helped him to overcome the naysayers in his path that would have prevented him from putting those extraordinary ideas to practice, but that same inflated opinion prevented him from seeing through those that used him.
I love reading about the revolutionary thinking that changes how we live our lives and conduct our business. This one did not disappoint.
February 17, 2016
Got this from the library because it's the book on which the television series was based. Reading the book I found out the show plays fast and loose with the truth, and Mr. Selfridge played fast and loose with show girls at various times in his life, but mostly in his declining years when neither his wife nor his mother were around as moderating influences.
The book itself is organized more like a scrapbook outlining significant events and achievements, rather than a biography that makes a story of a life. For more of a story (though less of the "truth") I highly recommend the television series. The book is a good illustration of the history of a certain era in retail dominated by larger-than-life personalities such as Harry Gordon Selfridge.
The book itself is organized more like a scrapbook outlining significant events and achievements, rather than a biography that makes a story of a life. For more of a story (though less of the "truth") I highly recommend the television series. The book is a good illustration of the history of a certain era in retail dominated by larger-than-life personalities such as Harry Gordon Selfridge.
May 11, 2014
As a historian, I love history books. If you are watching public television maybe you have watched Mr. Selfridge on Masterpiece Theater. This book is the real history. I love Mr. Selfridge the TV show and this book.
Selfridge was a self made man. His father disappeared after the American Civil War and his mother had to support Harry and his brother, both of which never lived long. From Ripon WI just 13-14 miles from where I sit, which surprised me. He finally goes to London and starts Selfridge's department store. The store still stands today, though not knowing about this man, I have always gone to Harrod's. Next time I am in England will have to make a stop there.
Selfridge was a self made man. His father disappeared after the American Civil War and his mother had to support Harry and his brother, both of which never lived long. From Ripon WI just 13-14 miles from where I sit, which surprised me. He finally goes to London and starts Selfridge's department store. The store still stands today, though not knowing about this man, I have always gone to Harrod's. Next time I am in England will have to make a stop there.
July 14, 2014
Very interesting book that the popular PBS series "Mr. Selfridge" is based on. Harry Selfridge was the B.T. Barnum of the retail business. He was flamboyant, but principled and good to his employees. An egotistical womanizer who adored his wife and mother. He had a "little man" complex and was impeccably dressed at all times, he expected higher standards but his retail staff adored him. He built one of the biggest retail empires of his time but died broke. A man of many contradictions, but that is what makes this such a good read.
November 20, 2016
Let's go Shopping!
I first watched the PBS series Mr. Selfridge starring Jeremy Piven. Loved it. So, when this was book offered on Kindle I grabbed it. It was well worth buying as it is wonderfully written and extremely well researched. A lot of the story lines on the PBS series were fictionalized but not to the point of distraction but reading this put it into perspective. Our modern shopping stores are the result of Harry Gordon Selfridge's imaginative and acute business sense. We shoppers owe him a debt of gratitude!
I first watched the PBS series Mr. Selfridge starring Jeremy Piven. Loved it. So, when this was book offered on Kindle I grabbed it. It was well worth buying as it is wonderfully written and extremely well researched. A lot of the story lines on the PBS series were fictionalized but not to the point of distraction but reading this put it into perspective. Our modern shopping stores are the result of Harry Gordon Selfridge's imaginative and acute business sense. We shoppers owe him a debt of gratitude!
October 14, 2014
I watched the series not to long ago and of course wanted to find out more about this man. He was a true pioneer in the area of shopping. So many of the sales techniques that are used today were his idea. He was not however the most stalwart of husbands and he had many mistresses. Although names are changed many of the things in the tv series are based on true events and/or people. Interesting read esp if you enjoy bios and the 1920's.
October 30, 2019
I'm not sure many Americans realize that the BBC series is mostly true. The major events of Selfridge's life are woven into the series, with a lot of dramatic fiction thrown in. This book will help you appreciate what Harry Selfridges did for marketing in Britain. He was a force to be reckoned with. Entertaining and educational book! I read it twice.
January 6, 2013
This fit in very well with Downton Abbey and "To Marry an English Lord". Similar time period and characters. I'm looking forward to the new TV series that starts tonight "Mr. Selfridge". I'll be watching it while you all start Downton Abbey Season 3! Enjoy--and keep your kleenex close by!
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