Shelf 16: The umbrella unfurled: its remarkable life and times

Next up, I read The Umbrella Unfurled: Its Remarkable Life and Times by Nigel Rogers, as my selection from Shelf 16. It weighs in at 96 pages.

I had originally chosen a SEAL's survival guide, but then this book came across my desk as a selection for a display of blue books. (The display theme is "pick a book out of the blue" and so I did just that!)

It's an unusual little book, but it delivers exactly what it promises: the history of the umbrella. It discusses the umbrella's importance as a social status indicator, a protector from the rain and sun, how it played into flirtation, and even its place on the battlefield.

Something I learned from this book is that, in 2011, Nicolas Sarkozy (president of France) got a Kevlar-lined umbrella that would cover him from head to toe (in one direction, at least) in the event of an assassination attempt or other such attack.