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Bonfire of the Brands: How I Learnt to Live without Labels
 
 
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Bonfire of the Brands: How I Learnt to Live without Labels (Hardcover)

by Neil Boorman (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Bonfire of the Brands: How I Learnt to Live without Labels + How to be Free + How to be Idle
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 261 pages
  • Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd (7 Aug 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1847670873
  • ISBN-13: 978-1847670878
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 176,951 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #67 in  Books > Biography > Medical, Legal & Social Sciences > Anthropology & Sociology

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Product Description

Financial Times
Boorman has brains, humility and a winning style.

New Statesman
... makes for a great read... a vivid portrait of one man's relationship with adverts and unnecessary spending.

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Bonfire of the Brands: How I Learnt to Live without Labels
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Bonfire of the Brands: How I Learnt to Live without Labels 3.9 out of 5 stars (8)
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Branded from birth, 7 Sep 2007
This review is from: Bonfire of the Brands: How I Learned to Live without Labels (Paperback)
Having watched all Neil Boorman's branded goods go up in flames last year on BBC News 24, I was eager to read his book Bonfire of the Brands. I don't usually read `political' books, but this is a page-turner. It takes a diary form, with personal experiences of his own `de-branding' alongside an analysis of contemporary culture and the history of brands.

There's been so much hype about the book recently that I wasn't sure if it was going to deliver all it promised, but it`s in turn, humorous, candid and thought-provoking. At some level, we are all sucked into consuming products that we don't really need, and although Neil's actions are pretty extreme, there's something to be said for a more moderate approach to buying, especially as the world faces escalating ecological and environmental challenges.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Burn this book, 31 Oct 2007
By S. R. Schwankert (Beijing, China) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Bonfire of the Brands: How I Learned to Live without Labels (Paperback)
I love brands. I hate myself. Buy my book. That's "Bonfire of the Brands" in a nutshell.

There, you just saved £7.79 and 256 pages. If you'd like to read something genuinely informative and entertaining about consumer behavior, try Paco Underhill's "Why We Buy." Instead of talking about himself for the entire book, as Boorman does, Underhill actually explains what influences consumers, especially in a retail environment.
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5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars witty and thought-provoking , 13 Sep 2007
By J. Berglund (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Bonfire of the Brands: How I Learned to Live without Labels (Paperback)
Before I read this, I would have said that it would be impossible to lead a brand-free existence (even supermarket own-brand is a brand?), but Neil Boorman seems to have actually done it - right down to making his own toothpaste.

I also needed some persuading to the idea that brands are bad. Surely they just help us make decisions about what to buy? But Neil's painfully honest confessions about how he obsessed over labels has made me question why I buy the things I do ... and made me realise that most of it is a waste of money. We're being sold an unattainable dream rather than a product.

If you're a fan of Alain De Botton's books you'll enjoy the similar way in which Boorman takes complicated ideas (in this case about branding and marketing) and makes them easily understandable - without ever dumbing down.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever spent over £100 on an item of basic clothing (jeans, trainers, handbags..) - you'll laugh-out loud with recognition of brand-anxiety that Neil describes.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't fall for this pointless publicity stunt
So Neil Boorman has changed his life and gone 'brand-free' has he? I take it then that this book is not actually published by major publishing house Canongate; that's a printing... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Smurfy

4.0 out of 5 stars lighting a fire under the empty promises of the global brands
Neil Boorman's infamous bonfire of the brands seems to divide people a little. They either think that burning all his branded possessions is self indulgent and gimmicky, or they... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Jeremy Williams

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly beefy
The press coverage around this book has, predictably, focussed on the aspect of him burning his gear. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Icemonster

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful stuff
This is a witty, thoughtful and surprisingly personal analysis on the hold that brands have on all of us. Read more
Published 22 months ago by A Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and surprisingly moving
I heard the author on the Today programme the other day and was intrigued enough to buy a copy from amazon. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Leo McMarley

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