FOREWORD vii I. ORIGIN AND CLASSICAL HISTORY 1 II. COMMERCIAL RISE AND GROWTH 13 III. STRAW PLAIT--METHOD OF PREPARING THE STRAWS 25 IV. STRAW HOODS--METHOD OF PREPARING AND OF WEAVING THE FIBRES 35 V. STRAW PLAIT AND PLAITTING 45 VI. DYEING 52 VII. BLEACHING 60 VIII. BLOCKMAKING 66 IX. HAND AND MACHINE SEWING 71 X. STIFFENING 84 XI. BLOCKING BY HAND 93 XII. BLOCKING BY MACHINE 100 XIII. FINISHING. POLISHING. TRIMMING. LINING 111 INDEX 125 ERMEN & ROBY’S COTTON IS LUTON’S FAVOURITE BRAND [Illustration] White and Black on 10,000 Yard Reels All Colours on 5,000 Yard Reels ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE FINISHING, LINING AND TRIMMING STRAW HATS _Frontispiece_ THE PETASUS 2 THE STEPHANOS 3 THE ETRUSCAN HAT 4 HAT OF PENELOPE 5 A POMPEIAN BONNET 5 STRAW PLAITTERS AT WORK 30 PANAMA HOOD MAKING 39 BLEACHING AND DYEING OF PLAITS AND HOODS 55 A TIPPER 69 SECTION OF FOUR ROWS OF PLAIT 72 SEWING STRAW PLAIT INTO HATS BY MACHINE 75 SECTION OF ROLLERS 82 STIFFENING STRAW HATS 89 HAND BLOCKING 97 MACHINE BLOCKING 103 MACHINE BLOCKING (BROCHIER TYPE) 109 EVERY DESCRIPTION OF STRAW HATS OF GUARANTEED EXCELLENCE [Illustration: _The “Cavalier” Make_] English Boater Genuine “Luton Lodge” REGD.