This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1921 edition. Excerpt: ...republics was made with fabrics woven from precious metals and encrusted with the most valuable stones, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds--almost Iflwaysthe size of nuts. I understand that the Holy Father still wears such things on those special days when they really ring out the bells." "Goodness, the things you know, friend Apolonio," exclaimed Novillo, sincerely dazzled. "Well, now you know as much as I do, Don Anselmo. And if you would like more details, I'll leave you a manuscript entitled Esthetic Podotechnology or The History of Artistic Footwear, which my friend Valeiro wrote just for me and from which I've gathered most of my data. In less than thirty minutes you can learn all this stuff by heart. As a Spaniard, it makes me blush with shame--and I cannot say this often enough--that we have not contributed any innovation to the art of shoemaking. There is no such thing as a truly Spanish science of footwear. You have probably never heard any one talk about a Madrid toe, an Isabel II heel, or a Spanish cut; on the other hand, everybody knows the Florentine toe, the Richelieu shoe, a Louis XV heel, or an English cut." "Now, just hold on," objected Novillo, who was very touchy in matters of patriotism. Because he was the local representative of theC' absentee political boss and was himself a big chief in the villageTjhe felt that insulting the good name of the country was the same as slyly criticizing its politics. "We shouldn't give a hoot about all those things. You say we don't have a heel or a toe? Well, we've developed more substantial, more beneficial things," he said, placing his open palms over his stomach--"Galician stew, Asturian pork and beans, codfish a la Vizcaina, Valencian paella, Mallorcan baked sausage, not to...
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