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Book synopsis

We all have something in our lives that while not obviously valuable, is displayed as though it were a precious and irreplaceable artifact. Inquire about the object's provenance and you'll likely be treated to a lively anecdote about how it came into your host's possession. Keep digging, and you might even crack the code of what the thing "really" means. "Taking Things Seriously" is a wonder cabinet of seventy-five unlikely thingamajigs that have been invested with significance and transformed into totems, talismans, charms, relics, and fetishes: scraps of movie posters scavenged from the streets of New York by "Low Life" author Luc Sante; the World War I helmet that inoculated social critic Thomas Frank against jingoism; the trash-picked, robot-shaped hairdo machine described by its owner as a chick magnet; the bagelburned by actor Christopher Walken, moonlighting as a short-order cook. The owners of these objects convey their excitement in short, often poignant essays that invite readers to participate in the enjoyable act of interpreting things. You'll never look at the bric-a-brac on your shelves the same way again.

Book details

Book category Books in English The arts Industrial / commercial art & design Product design

• Full title: Taking Things Seriously
• Subtitle: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance
• Author: Joshua Glenn, Carol Hayes
• Language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 174
• EAN: 9781568986906
• ID: 04816920
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
• Weight: 320 g
• Dimensions: 179 × 142 × 18 mm
• Date of publishing: 31. July 2007

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