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Souvenir

Series: Object Lessons
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Souvenir by Rolf Potts explores the concept and significance of souvenirs in our lives, blending travel, history, and psychology. It delves into how these seemingly simple objects hold personal and cultural meanings, forming a bridge between the places we visit and our memories of them. The book offers an insightful reflection on how souvenirs define our understanding of the world beyond physical journeys.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2199
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're fascinated by the cultural and emotional significance of seemingly simple objects and the stories they hold. It explores how souvenirs encapsulate memories and the deeper meanings they can convey in our lives, offering a unique perspective on travel and nostalgia.

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Souvenir

Drawing on a mix of historical, philosophical, and personal inquiry, Souvenir explores how we use mementos of travel to structure our memories and give meaning to our place in the world.

Drawing on a mix of historical, philosophical, and personal inquiry, Souvenir explores how we use mementos of travel to structure our memories and give meaning to our place in the world.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

For as long as people have travelled to distant lands, they have brought home objects to certify the journey. More than mere merchandise, these travel souvenirs take on a personal and cultural meaning that goes beyond the object itself. Drawing on several millennia of examplesβ€”from the relic-driven quests of early Christians, to the mass-produced tchotchkes that line the shelves of a Disney gift shopβ€”travel writer Rolf Potts delves into a complicated history that explores issues of authenticity, cultural obligation, market forces, human suffering, and self-presentation. Souvenirs are shown for what they really are: not just objects, but personalised forms of folk storytelling that enable people to make sense of the world and their place in it.

Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

Souvenir features illustrations by Cedar Van Tassel.

Series: Object Lessons

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Souvenir by Rolf Potts delves into the fascinating world of travel memorabilia, examining why and how humans collect these items and their deeper significance. Critics praise Potts' exploration of the philosophical and historical aspects of souvenirs, alongside personal anecdotes that imbue the narrative with personal warmth. The book has been noted for its charm, engaging storytelling, and insightful perspectives, leaving readers with a refreshed view on objects often dismissed as trivial.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781501329418

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 08 March 2018

Country: United States

Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic USA

Illustration: 9 b/w illustrations

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Cedar Van Tassel

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 14.0mm

Width: 120.0mm

Height: 164.0mm

Weight: 140g

Pages: 144

About the Author

Rolf Potts is the author of Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (2003), which has sold more than 150,000 copies and has been translated into five languages. His other publications include Marco Polo Didn't Go There: Stories and Revelations From One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer (2008), which won the Chatwin Prize for international travel writing in 2009, and The Geto Boys (33 1/3 series, Bloomsbury, 2016). Potts has reported from more than 60 countries worldwide, for the likes of The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Believer, the New York Times Magazine, Slate.com, Salon.com, National Geographic Traveler, Sports Illustrated, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Guardian.

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