false 5150897 1 Auction catalogs can tell you a lot about a person—their passions and vanities, peccadilloes and aesthetics; their flush years and lean. Think of the collections of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Truman Capote, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. In Leanne Shapton’s marvelously inventive and invented auction catalog, the 325 lots up for auction are what remain from the relationship between Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris (who aren’t real people, but might as well be). Through photographs of the couple’s personal effects—the usual auction items (jewelry, fine art, and rare furniture) and the seemingly worthless (pajamas, Post-it notes, worn paperbacks)—the story of a failed love affair vividly (and cleverly) emerges. From first meeting to final separation, the progress and rituals of intimacy are revealed through the couple’s accumulated relics and memorabilia. And a love story, in all its tenderness and struggle, emerges from the evidence that has been left behind, laid out for us to appraise and appreciate. <P></P>In an earlier work, <I>Was She Pretty?</I>, Shapton, a talented artist and illustrator, subtly explored the seemingly simple yet powerfully complicated nature of sexual jealousy. In <I>Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris</I>—a very different yet equally original book—she invites us to contemplate what is truly valuable, and to consider the art we make of our private lives. 5217893 3 2 2009 Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry total:208|5:56|4:89|3:48|2:13|1:2| 208 808 484 78 4 1 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 06 14:08:06 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 12 16:13:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Mar 07 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 11:05:59 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 16:14:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 true false Sun Apr 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 21:10:55 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 21:12:06 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Apr 01 21:15:23 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 01 21:15:47 -0700 2009
She did something so amazing here, and did it so exquisitely well.
It might seem like a gimmick, but it is so well done, it's past gimmick and into art.

In fact, I ordered this book for th...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 13:05:57 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 13:10:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun Apr 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 22:54:52 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 26 15:46:25 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Mar 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 13 13:50:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 13 13:56:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 08:04:16 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 09:14:08 -0700 2009
It’s a book of photographs with text, meant to look like an auction cat...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Apr 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 23 05:48:53 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 06:11:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 09:03:02 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 01 20:52:14 -0700 2009 1
Overall, I thought the conceit worked pretty well, though in order to succeed, the character...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jun 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 02 16:05:38 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 02 16:21:07 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Apr 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 27 16:16:21 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 30 10:23:21 -0700 2009
1. This couple writes more letters than anyone I've ever met.

2. There isn't much depth here. At least delve into the actual split, if you're headed that...more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Nov 25 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 24 16:52:00 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 25 17:13:31 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Apr 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 09:51:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 09:57:28 -0700 2009 this one threw me for a loop. looking at the "exhibit" of items from a relationship i was thinking of all the bits & pieces of my marriage...party flyers....flea market finds....vintage dresses i used to fit into....notes....books....just enough info for ...more...]]> 0 0 false false Sat Feb 21 08:49:10 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 12 18:16:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 09:30:47 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 29 08:41:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Apr 06 10:45:38 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 10:48:29 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Mar 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 13 07:41:24 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 14 10:36:27 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat May 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 04 06:20:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 04 06:23:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Nov 23 17:58:38 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 23 18:04:35 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=5150897