Precious Little Obsessions

Taking Things Seriously // Princeton Architectural Press //
By Joshua Glenn and Carol Hayes

Boston-based writer Joshua Glenn was fascinated by the power that ordinary objects have over us. A few years ago, he challenged friends to find that one piece of detritus they hung onto through moves, marriage, kids, and more moves. The book’s 75 thingamajigs are astonishing in their variety, ranging from a fingernail collection to a sub-bass booster called the Big-Bottom Exciter. The beautifully written mini-essays that accompany them examine our sometimes irrational affection for inanimate objects, and how closely our memory is bound to the things we keep.

$18, Trident Booksellers & Café.

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