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Thanks to advancing technology and shifting mores, the amount of change we experience in our lifetimes is truly exceptional. Objects and practices that are commonplace can very quickly become outmoded. In this witty and informative collection of short essays, journalist and social commentator Anna Jane Grossman takes a thoughtful look at what everyday apparatuses, ideas, and behaviors are quickly disappearing—or else have already left the building.
Obsolete contains essays and entries on more than 100 alphabetized fading subjects, including Blind Dates, Mix Tapes, Getting Lost, Porn Magazines, Looking Old, Operators, Camera Film, Hitchhiking, Body Hair, Writing Letters, Basketball Players in Short Shorts, Privacy, Cash, and, yes, Books. This ode to obsolescence also includes 25 quirky pen-and-ink line illustrations to further help us remember exactly what we’re missing.
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Anna Jane Grossman is a New York–based freelance writer specializing in lifestyle and arts and entertainment features. Her work has appeared in dozens of publications, including the New York Times, Salon.com, the Washington Post, CNN.com, the Associated Press, Elle, New York Magazine, Marie Claire, and Fortune.
Anna Jane Grossman is a New York-based freelance writer specializing in lifestyle and entertainment features. Her work has appeared in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Salon.com, The Washington Post, Elle, and Fortune. Her second book, Obsolete, is being published by Abrams Image in September 2009. For more information, visit: http://AnnaJane.net.
When my daughter tried to return money I had left in her purse, I told her to keep it because a girl should always have change in case she needs to make a phone call. After I said this, I realized how "obsolete" that sounded and was. A kid of this generation would first ask to borrow someone elses cell phone [even a stranger's] rather than use a pay phone... or know how to use one. This book made me aware of these types of time warp moments. A book everyone will enjoy and find interesting.
Anna Jane Grossman creates a truly enjoyable way of bringing back the memories of those nearly forgotten creations, ways of life and past observations. Her modern and so often humorous slant provides the type of encyclopedia that encourages one to pick up her book today as well as in the future.
In these times a look at the past with reminders of how things were - with a laugh out loud - can always find a ready audience.
Obsolete is the best of both worlds: it's divided up into digestible bits to satisfy the cravings of a casual reader. But it's also got depth that'll fulfill the reader who wants to learn, reflect and laugh out loud. Obsolete is witty, thoughtful -- and quite possibly the only encyclopedia I will happily read several times, from cover to cover. The only problem I have with it is that not every entry has an entire essay. But hopefully that just means Abram's Image has a second edition in the pipeline!
