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Oh! Dem Golden Slippers: The Story of the Philadelphia Mummers
The definitive illustrated history of the Philadelphia
208 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1991
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 18, 2015
I have been a marching member of the mummer community for 9 years and even after all this time I still find myself in awe of the mummer culture. In my area of South Philly, it's completely normal to wake up on a Sunday morning in the late fall to the sound of a string band marching down your street. Garage doors don't open to cars and tools, but to piles of sequined fabric, satin, and colorful feathers. Its not uncommon to introduce yourself with your name and club affiliation.
I was looking for a book that could provide me with a history of Philadelphia mummery and could provide "outsiders" with a description of what the parade is and why it is the way it is. This book contains the best description of the history of the mummer's parade that I have yet read. It talks in a manageable amount of detail about the (probable) origins of the parade and gives a decent history of some of the more well-known brigades that have marched.
I recommend this book to individuals who have some existing sense of what the mummers are. If you are unfamiliar with the mummers, there will be many idea presented in the text that, lacking clarification, will probably leave you scratching your head. For example , "comics strutting with their umbrellas" are mentioned, but to someone unfamiliar with mummery, they might ask themselves "Why the umbrellas? Was it raining?". For the same reason, this book fell short of my expectations as a mummer wanting to know more about the tradition. The history of the parade is discussed, but no history of the details of the parade is given. Why the umbrellas? Why jockeys? As an "insider" this book left me unfulfilled.
When I purchased this book nearly a year ago, I looked at the size and set it aside thinking it would be a daunting historical read. When I took it out again recently I told myself I would probably need to set aside a good amount of time to read it. Don't let the size of the book intimidate you. The print is very large, there are many pages of pictures, and the meat of the book is really only about 250 pages.
With that said, the book is easy to read, has many interesting facts about Philadelphia Mummery, and is a great way to learn more about the parade once you have seen the mummers in action.
Note: The original book was published in 1970 and an updated version was published in 1991. The parade has changed greatly in the 2+ decades since then. I personally would have loved to have seen the wenches addressed in this edition (at least 2 pictures of them are included, but no descriptions of that particular class of mummer and their iconic suits). The picture that this text paints of "modern" mummery is close to how it is in 2015, but does fall short of leaving the reader with a vivid image of mummery today.
I was looking for a book that could provide me with a history of Philadelphia mummery and could provide "outsiders" with a description of what the parade is and why it is the way it is. This book contains the best description of the history of the mummer's parade that I have yet read. It talks in a manageable amount of detail about the (probable) origins of the parade and gives a decent history of some of the more well-known brigades that have marched.
I recommend this book to individuals who have some existing sense of what the mummers are. If you are unfamiliar with the mummers, there will be many idea presented in the text that, lacking clarification, will probably leave you scratching your head. For example , "comics strutting with their umbrellas" are mentioned, but to someone unfamiliar with mummery, they might ask themselves "Why the umbrellas? Was it raining?". For the same reason, this book fell short of my expectations as a mummer wanting to know more about the tradition. The history of the parade is discussed, but no history of the details of the parade is given. Why the umbrellas? Why jockeys? As an "insider" this book left me unfulfilled.
When I purchased this book nearly a year ago, I looked at the size and set it aside thinking it would be a daunting historical read. When I took it out again recently I told myself I would probably need to set aside a good amount of time to read it. Don't let the size of the book intimidate you. The print is very large, there are many pages of pictures, and the meat of the book is really only about 250 pages.
With that said, the book is easy to read, has many interesting facts about Philadelphia Mummery, and is a great way to learn more about the parade once you have seen the mummers in action.
Note: The original book was published in 1970 and an updated version was published in 1991. The parade has changed greatly in the 2+ decades since then. I personally would have loved to have seen the wenches addressed in this edition (at least 2 pictures of them are included, but no descriptions of that particular class of mummer and their iconic suits). The picture that this text paints of "modern" mummery is close to how it is in 2015, but does fall short of leaving the reader with a vivid image of mummery today.
June 14, 2007
I have a personal connection with the Mummers, having grown up near Philly. This book was certainly informative, but I felt like something was missing. It didn't hold together very well. Also, not enough cultural analysis. And you know me.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews