Cult Objects: The Complete Guide to Having It All

by Deyan Sudjic

1987. Trade paperback edition, Grafton Books / Collins, U.K., 159 pages. Helps to explain why certain products, once they are introduced, become cult objects, such the Fisher pen, the mini-car, Coca-Cola, the Swiss Army pen knife, Newcastle beer, the Wellington boot, Gucci tasseled loafers, the Polaroid camera, and--of course--Ray-Ban sunglasses.

Genres: Design

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Deyan Sudjic is Director of the Design Museum. He was born in London, and studied architecture in Edinburgh. He has worked as a critic for The Observer and The Sunday Times, as the editor of Domus in Milan, as the director of the Venice Architecture Biennale, and as a curator in Glasgow, Istanbul and Copenhagen. He is the author of B is for Bauhaus, The Language of Things and The Edifice Complex.

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Publishing in 1985, Cult Objects looks at how Western Culture (primarily British)imbues certain objects with special status that is used to reflect similar attributes in its owner. The book also looks at those objects that are able to push the relationship to a point where the object become a cultural icon and earns cult status among its adherents. The book is dated (mention of Izod polo shirts and yuppie ephemera and a loving tribute to the original mini and bug before the new models). Worthwhile for anyone interested in 80s culture or an understanding of signifiers in British fashion.

[Frederic · Rating 4 out of 5]

History and analysis of mid- to late 20th-century design in mass-produced objects.