Paraphernalia: The Curious Lives of Magical Things [Kindle Edition]

`Recommended... Readers will enjoy the "eroticism of rubber", the fascination of pop-smoking, and the joy of fidgeting' --New Statesman

'A writer who can seemingly conjure the profoundest insights out of the most minute or mundane topics.' --Guardian

'Urbane, witty and seductive ... challenging and often enchanting' --Independent

'the little things we surround ourselves with and barely notice are as important as the huge things we obsess about' --Sean French of Nicci French

A unique and quirky exploration of the stories and meanings behind the everyday objects that shape our lives

From combs and keys to sweets and handkerchiefs, certain objects, though seemingly mundane, can have a magical quality, and an often surprising power to arouse, absorb, disturb, or soothe.Take bags, for example. Why do most women carry handbags, while men rely on pockets? Why do so many houses have bags of bags? And why do we ‘let the cat out the bag' or ‘give someone the sack'? What significance do our bags hold for us? Imaginatively and entertainingly, Steven Connor embarks on a historical, philosophical and linguistic journey that explores our relationships with the curious things with which we have a forgotten but daily intimacy.

Steven Connor is professor of modern literature and theory at Birkbeck College. He is also academic director of the London Consortium inter-disciplinary graduate programme in humanities and cultural studies. He is the author of several academic books (on subjects ranging from the English novel to ventriloquism) and contributes regularly to print media and radio. This is his first general book.