What is a Thing Biography?

Emily, a Skylight Bookseller, coined the term "thing biography" to describe a trend she has noticed in nonfiction publishing. A thing biography is a cultural history of an object, animal, vegetable, mineral, brand, or concept that has played some role in the lives of humans. It usually addresses the development and changing perceptions of the thing through different times and cultures. 

"Thing Theory" is a sociological or philosophical examination of the way people use things to create meaning in their lives. 

Love it or loathe it, we live in a consumer society: THINGS MATTER!

Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth (Paperback)

By William Bryant Logan

$14.95

ISBN-13: 9780393329476
Availability: In the Warehouse (Usually ships to store or customer in 2-7 days. Call for time-sensitive orders)
Published: W. W. Norton & Company, 01/01/2007

---

Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity (Paperback)

By David Foster Wallace

$15.95

ISBN-13: 9780393326291
Availability: In the Warehouse (Usually ships to store or customer in 2-7 days. Call for time-sensitive orders)
Published: W. W. Norton & Company, 11/01/2004

---

Color: A Natural History of the Palette (Paperback)

By Victoria Finlay

$16.00

ISBN-13: 9780812971422
Availability: In the Warehouse (Usually ships to store or customer in 2-7 days. Call for time-sensitive orders)
Published: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 12/01/2003

---

Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird (Paperback)

By Andrew D. Blechman

$14.00

ISBN-13: 9780802143280
Availability: In the Warehouse (Usually ships to store or customer in 2-7 days. Call for time-sensitive orders)
Published: Grove Press, 10/01/2007

---

The Humble Little Condom: A History (Paperback)

By Anne Collier

$18.95

ISBN-13: 9781591025566
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Prometheus Books, 10/01/2007

---

Onramps and Overpasses: A Cultural History of Interstate Travel (Hardcover)

By Dianne Perrier

$29.95

ISBN-13: 9780813033983
Availability: In the Warehouse (Usually ships to store or customer in 2-7 days. Call for time-sensitive orders)
Published: University Press of Florida, 11/01/2009

---

Citrus: A History (Paperback)

By Pierre Laszlo

$17.00

ISBN-13: 9780226470283
Availability: Special Order - Subject to Availability
Published: University Of Chicago Press, 09/01/2008

---

Things That Talk: Object Lessons from Art and Science (Paperback)

By Lorraine Daston

$21.95

ISBN-13: 9781890951443
Availability: In the Warehouse (Usually ships to store or customer in 2-7 days. Call for time-sensitive orders)
Published: Zone Books (NY), 11/01/2007

---

Shaping Things (Paperback)

By Bruce Sterling, Lorraine Wild

$19.95

ISBN-13: 9780262693264
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: MIT Press (MA), 09/01/2005

---

Salt (Paperback)

By Mark Kurlansky

$16.00

ISBN-13: 9780142001615
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin (Non-Classics), 01/01/2003

---