This wonderful book, perhaps more than any other here in library, sums up the spirit of the Curiosity Shoppe. All objects, from the mundane to the miraculous, have special meaning. And exploring that meaning for yourself or sharing it with others can be both illuminating and hilarious. From the publisher: 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 bagel burned 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. Softcover, measures 5.5" x 7". |
