{"product_id":"9781632869647","title":"Fewer, Better Things : The Hidden Wisdom of Objects","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eFewer, Better Things\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Glenn Adamson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the former director of the Museum of Arts and Design in New  York, a timely and passionate case for the role of the well-designed  object in the digital age.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Curator and scholar Glenn Adamson opens \u003ci\u003eFewer, Better Things\u003c\/i\u003e  by contrasting his beloved childhood teddy bear to the smartphones and  digital tablets children have today. He laments that many children and  adults are losing touch with the material objects that have nurtured  human development for thousands of years. The objects are still here,  but we seem to care less and know less about them. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In his  presentations to groups, he often asks an audience member what he or she  knows about the chair the person is sitting in. Few people know much  more than whether it's made of wood, plastic, or metal. If we know  little about how things are made, it's hard to remain connected to the  world around us.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eFewer, Better Things\u003c\/i\u003e explores the  history of craft in its many forms, explaining how raw materials, tools,  design, and technique come together to produce beauty and utility in  handmade or manufactured items. Whether describing the implements used  in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, the use of woodworking tools, or  the use of new fabrication technologies, Adamson writes expertly and  lovingly about the aesthetics of objects, and the care and attention  that goes into producing them. Reading this wise and elegant book is a  truly transformative experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Inspiring . . . \u003ci\u003eFewer, Better Things\u003c\/i\u003e is deeply personal, full of stories about Adamson’s family that are by turns funny, eye-opening, and moving . . . Adamson invites readers to follow along on a series of thought experiments about the objects in our lives, our relationships to them, what they mean, and how we might go about distilling them so that our material footprint is greatly reduced. And this isn’t just an exercise--the future of humanity might depend on it.\" - \u003ci\u003eArchitectural Digest\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[Adamson] makes a powerful case for limiting our purchases to things (including food) that we find to be beautiful, meaningful, or useful.\" - \u003ci\u003ePsychology Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A powerful and personal account of the meaning and wonder of craft by one of its leading voices. Through a compelling mix of family lore and cultural history, Adamson explores the practice and purpose of craft with elegance and insight. As craft enjoys a well earned renaissance, this work explains why it matters and why more of us are realising it matters.\" - \u003ci\u003eTristram Hunt, Director, Victoria and Albert Museum\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Genial and elegant writing . . . Combining elements of memoir, reportage, material history, and curatorial studies, \u003ci\u003eFewer, Better Things \u003c\/i\u003eis an erudite but accessible global survey of the contemporary material landscape and how we can be better informed to shape it . . . For the design-inclined, \u003ci\u003eFewer, Better Things \u003c\/i\u003ewill sharpen the way you think about the world around you.\" - \u003ci\u003eModern Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"If we are to navigate out of our cluttered and over-accessorized worlds, we need the kind of critical thinking that \u003ci\u003eFewer, Better Things\u003c\/i\u003e beautifully and succinctly delivers. Reflecting a lifetime of study on material intelligence, Glenn Adamson’s remarkable book asks us to radically reconsider the objects we choose to surround ourselves with. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can see it becoming a manifesto for modern living.\" - \u003ci\u003eAlexander Langlands, author of CROEFT: AN INQUIRY INTO THE ORIGINS AND TRUE MEANING OF TRADITIONAL CRAFTS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Rich with examples and stories of objects and their makers . . . Adamson’s crafty enthusiasm is infectious.\" - \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Adamson, a former director of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and author of several books on craft, views the suffering of the natural world through the prism of our increasingly tortured relationship with it.\" - \u003ci\u003eNew York Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In \u003ci\u003eFewer, Better Things\u003c\/i\u003e, scholar and former museum curator Glenn Adamson inspires readers to reflect on the physical items they encounter . . . Adamson argues that objects cross cultural barriers . . . and provide a shared understanding of culture and history. By creating meaningful connections to objects, we can move towards a sustainable world where we surround ourselves with fewer, but better, things.\" - \u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[Adamson’s] book will awaken those who have tuned out from their surroundings.\" - \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This new attention to craft, to work done through some close contact between hand and thing, has been enriched by the publication of \u003ci\u003eThe Craft Reader . . .\u003c\/i\u003e Even readers who think they're not interested in craft will be more engaged than they expected, if they give the anthology half a chance.\" - \u003ci\u003eBarry Schwabsky, The Nation on THE CRAFT READER\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"At a time when technical skill has been widely dismissed or outsourced in the production of art, Glenn Adamson crucially adds an entire spectrum of hand-crafted objects to the creative history of the post-war era.\" - \u003ci\u003eThomas Crow, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University on THINKING THROUGH CRAFT\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[Adamson] is the best writer on craft since Peter Dormer . . . From the politics of labour to the intricacies of lacemaking, this is a superb book that covers a huge territory and is stuffed full of ideas and unexpected associations.\" - \u003ci\u003eEdwin Heathcote, Icon Magazine on THE INVENTION OF CRAFT\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781632869647\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40656496296142,"sku":"9781632869647","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_832de3b9-b784-487b-ad62-0d38a72503c2.jpg?v=1639448745","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781632869647","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}