Don't worry, this a delight of a read, your feet nor pocketbook will suffer. Lavishly illustrated with photographs and ephemera from all over the world 'The World of Department Stores' by Vendome Press, offers a fascinating history of these centers of shopping and regional culture. Born in the Gilded Age in France, the department store grew-up due to the industrial revolution, the rise of the middle class, and the invention of steel-frame architecture and the elevator. Spectacular buildings…