Object Lessons is "an essay and book series about the hidden lives of ordinary things". Each of the essays (2,000 words) and the books (25,000 words) investigate a single object through a variety of approaches that often reveal something unexpected about that object. As stated in the Object Lessons webpage, "Each Object Lessons project will start from a specific inspiration: an anthropological query, ecological matter, archeological discovery, historical event, literary passage, personal narrative, philosophical speculation, technological innovation—and from there develop original insights and novel lessons about the object in question."

Series publishers

* ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' * Bloomsbury Publishing

Series editors

Ian Bogost Ian Bogost is an American academic and video game designer, most known for the game ''Cow Clicker''. He holds a joint professorship at Washington University as director and professor of the Film and Media Studies program in Arts & Sciences and ...

–

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

* Christopher Schaberg –

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a Private university, private Jesuit university in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name o ...

* Haaris Naqvi – Bloomsbury Publishing

Books

* Driver's License – Meredith Castile * Remote Control – Caetlin Benson-Allott * Golf Ball – Harry Brown * Drone – Adam Rothstein * Glass – John Garrison * Phone Booth – Ariana Kelly * Refrigerator – Jonathan Rees * Silence – John Biguenet *

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

– Joanna Walsh * Dust –

Michael Marder Michael Marder is Ikerbasque Research Professor of Philosophy at the University of the Basque Country, Vitoria-Gasteiz. He works in the phenomenological tradition of Continental philosophy, environmental thought, and political philosophy. Educa ...

* Shipping Container – Craig Martin * Hood – Alison Kinney * Cigarette Lighter – Jack Pendarvis * Bookshelf – Lydia Pyne * Bread – Scott Shershow * Password –

Martin Paul Eve Martin Paul Eve (born 1986) is a British academic, writer, and disability rights campaigner. He is the Professor of Literature, Technology and Publishing at Birkbeck College, University of London and Visiting Professor of Digital Humanities at ...

* Hair – Scott Lowe * Waste – Brian Thill * Questionnaire – Evan Kindley * Egg - Nicole Walker * Tree - Matthew Battles * Blanket - Kara Thompson * Shopping Mall - Matthew Newton * Sock - Kim Adrian * Eye Chart - William Germano * Earth - Jeffrey Jerome Cohen and Lindy Elkins-Tanton * Veil - Rafia Zakaria * Tumor - Anne Leahy * Personal Stereo - Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow * Jet Lag - Christopher J. Lee * High Heel - Summer Brennan * Traffic - Paul Josephson * Whale Song -

Margret Grebowicz Margret Grebowicz (born 1973) is a Polish philosopher, author, and former jazz vocalist. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Silesia in Katowice. In addition to peer-reviewed academic publications, Grebowicz, a proponent of pub ...

* Burger -

Carol J. Adams Carol J. Adams (born 1951) is an American writer, feminist, and animal rights advocate. She is the author of several books, including '' The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory'' (1990) and ''The Pornography of Meat'' ...

* Rust - Jean-Michel Rabaté * Souvenir -

Rolf Potts Rolf Potts (born October 13, 1970) is an American travel writer, essayist, podcaster, and author. He has written five books, including ''Vagabonding'' (Random House, 2003), ''Marco Polo Didn't Go There'' (Travelers Tales, 2008), ''Souvenir'' (Bloo ...

* Luggage - Susan Harlan * Train - A.N. Denvers * Pixel - Ian Epstein * Fog - Stephen Sparks * Fat - Hanne Blank * Doctor - Andrew Bomback * Bicycle - Jonathan Maskit * Fake - Kati Stevens * Pill - Robert Bennett * Potato - Rebecca Earle * Bulletproof Vest - Kenneth R. Rosen * Sticker - Henry Hoke

Reception

"They are beautiful: elegant paperbacks, the quality kind, with front and back flaps, not quite pocket-sized but easily transportable, each coming in at under 200 pages, each inspired by an object. ... Billed as books about 'the hidden lives of ordinary things,' there are 10 so far, and every one a curiosity; not just an object, but a world in and of itself."—''Los Angeles Review of Books'' "In 1957 the French critic and semiotician

Roland Barthes Roland Gérard Barthes (; ; 12 November 1915 – 26 March 1980) was a French literary theorist, essayist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician. His work engaged in the analysis of a variety of sign systems, mainly derived from Western popula ...

published ''

Mythologies Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrati ...

'', a groundbreaking series of essays in which he analysed the popular culture of his day, from laundry detergent to the face of

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragedy, ...

, professional wrestling to the Citroën DS. This series of short books, 'Object Lessons', continues the tradition; subjects already covered include the remote control, driver's licence, shipping container and drone, with more to come."—''Financial Times''Melissa Harrison
"‘Hotel (Object Lessons)’, by Joanna Walsh"
''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'', September 25, 2015

References

External links

*{{official website, http://objectsobjectsobjects.com
Essays and Mini Object Lessons
Series of books