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Obsolete: An Encyclopedia of Once-Common Things Passing Us By
Thanks to advancing technology and shifting mores, the amount of change we experience in our lifetimes is truly exceptional. Objects and practices that are commonplace can very quickly become outmoded. In this witty and informative collection of short essays, journalist and social commentator Anna Jane Grossman takes a thoughtful look at what everyday apparatuses, ideas, a...more
Hardcover, 192 pages
Published
September 1st 2009
by Abrams Image
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Informational and Entertaining, but Incomplete ..., October 11, 2010
Anna Jane Grossman's effort to remind us of so many of the things we once took for granted that have suddenly (and quietly) vanished from our lives is both intriguing and fun to read. While I believe the book definitely offered a taste for my hunger for nostalgia, I found it somewhat unfulfilling in the end.
"Obsolete" is thought-provoking in that it does make one realize how once-seemingly indi...more
Anna Jane Grossman's effort to remind us of so many of the things we once took for granted that have suddenly (and quietly) vanished from our lives is both intriguing and fun to read. While I believe the book definitely offered a taste for my hunger for nostalgia, I found it somewhat unfulfilling in the end.
"Obsolete" is thought-provoking in that it does make one realize how once-seemingly indi...more
From analog clocks to camcorders, dictionaries, encyclopedias, fax machines, manual car windows, nuns, pay phones, photo albums, privacy, typewriters, traditional names, and wristwatches (notice how the prices are tumbling?) Read this in about an hour while watching the Mets. Try doing that with James Joyce!
I was walking through the library with the kids when this book caught my attention. I was rather disappointed with the author's definition of "obsolete" on many of the items. Some of the stories related to the items were interesting, but the attempt at humor in most fell short and only served to motivate me to begin skimming the book.
Fun reminder of things once used, like my grandparents' manual typewriter used to write my first school newspaper articles in the late 1980s. Also an interesting look at how technology changes basic principles...for example how caller ID has shifted the power from the caller to the callee. Though we still get that thrill of the unknown caller today when we dare to answer that call from a number we don't recognize.
i didn't get to finish this, but given that it's an encyclopedia i feel justified in moving it on to the 'read' shelf. (i had to return it to the library before finishing).
it's hilarious; if not totally accurate. the illustrations are charming, and the humour is witty enough to keep me entertained (but shy of sarcasm, and a far cry from biting -- which would ruin it for me). would make a good gift for anyone born before the early 80s.
it's hilarious; if not totally accurate. the illustrations are charming, and the humour is witty enough to keep me entertained (but shy of sarcasm, and a far cry from biting -- which would ruin it for me). would make a good gift for anyone born before the early 80s.
oh my, when you really think of how much has changed in a lifetime it can make you sentimental, this book will be saved for the kids and their kids...
Does the Wite-Out company still exist?
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A fun read.
Denise Todd
marked it as to-read
do not own
The tone of this book was didn't feel consistent, sometimes it felt a little snarky, and other times I felt the author was trying to be scholarly.
entertaining.
totally enjoyable.
It's one of those books that you can pick up and read a passage or two... very entertaining.
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