Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance [Paperback]

Joshua Glenn (Author), Carol Hayes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 23, 2007

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In an age when we're obsessed with the design, provenance, and value of every objects around us, these 75 short essays and photographs honor those magical, mysterious items that wiggle their way into our lives, and somehow into our hearts....eclectic group of creatives who eloquently describe their little pieces of Nothing Special--and why they mean everything to them. -- StepInside Design, December 2007

Short essays about treasured possessions, by artists, designers, writers and performers. The cartoonist and musician recalls playing with an assortment of rubber animals as a boy, 'acting out battles, domestic scenes, everything.' But the star was always Sunshine, above: 'one special little yellow pig.' -- New York Times Book Review, August 2007

Taking Things Seriously is a process, an experience in looking and interpreting, reminding us to take a good look at all the ordinary things around and to realize that they are each far more just that. -- FiveandaHalf.net, September 17, 2007

The Must List #9. Proving one man's trash is another's treasure, this collection of photos and essays shows how the unlikliest of things can provide inspiration. -- Entertainment Weekly, October 26, 2007

delightful, often hilarious -- Dwell, December 2007

About the Author

Joshua Glenn is a Boston-based writer and editor at the Boston Globe.

Carol Hayes is an award-winning designer and artist. She lives in Brooklyn.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (August 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568986904
• ISBN-13: 978-1568986906
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #592,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!!, September 5, 2007

By 

Dr. Norman S. Keller (Princeton University, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance (Paperback)

What a gem! This is easily one of my favorite books of the year. Elegantly written adorned with beautiful images, I implore you to rush right out and buy a copy for youself--and another for a friend! Top notch stuff here. It's a keeper!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Objects of Interest to eveyone, September 26, 2007

By 

P. D. Dideriksen (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance (Paperback)

This book is a real original. It's great to pick up and enjoy, then pick it up again later and enjoy some more.
It encompasses something everyone does and hardly anyone really thinks about...hoarding/collecting stuff that is really important only to you. It puts a perspective on people's emotional ties to sometimes useless things. I had a lot fun reading it and sharing it.
Pat D.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Things are great!, September 18, 2007

By 

C- "MrLoop" (Leominster, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance (Paperback)

If you are somebody that enjoys things or objects, or even if you don't, this book is great fun to read. If you know somebody that tends to find interest in life - you should buy this book for them. If you know somebody that does not tend to find interest in life - you should buy this book for them, maybe it will help.