Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers, from the Fifteenth Century to the Twenty-First - Softcover

Trentmann, Frank

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0141028742 ISBN 13: 9780141028743

Publisher: Penguin, 2017

Synopsis

'Magnificent ... groundbreaking ... a triumph' Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads
'A masterpiece, a delight to read ... a rare and beautiful thing' Gerard DeGroot, The Times

What we consume has become the defining feature of our lives: our economies live or die by spending, we are treated more as consumers than workers, and even public services are presented to us as products in a supermarket. In this monumental study, acclaimed historian Frank Trentmann unfolds the extraordinary history that has shaped our material world, from late Ming China, Renaissance Italy and the British empire to the present. Astonishingly wide-ranging and richly detailed, Empire of Things explores how we have come to live with so much more, how this changed the course of history, and the global challenges we face as a result.

'I read Empire Of Things with unflagging fascination ... elegant, adventurous and colourful ... gleefully provocative' John Preston, Daily Mail

'Such a pleasure to read ... From Victorian department stores to modernist kitchens, his book revels in the things that most historians tend to overlook' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times

About this title

Review:

Utterly fascinating ... What makes Trentmann's book such a pleasure to read is not just the wealth of detail or the staggering international range, but the refreshing absence of moaning or moralising about our supposed addiction to owning more stuff (Dominic Sandbrook Sunday Times)

You can't not learn something new here ... [An] epic tale (Marcus Tanner Independent)

A history not merely of consumption (and attitudes toward consumption) but also of the very idea of goods as a thing to be produced and consumed. Every page fascinates (Stephen L. Carter, 'Great History Books of 2016' Bloomberg)

I read Empire Of Things with unflagging fascination ... [Trentmann] is not only an elegant, adventurous and colourful writer, he also manages the tricky balancing act of being eminently sensible and gleefully provocative (John Preston Daily Mail)

Laden with fascinating insights and accounts, the result no doubt of extensive research, this study spans not only six centuries and numerous civilisations, cultures and individuals but also finds time to comment on the beginnings, direction and outcomes of consumerism itself. This is a hugely impressive undertaking and an ambitious narrative (James Sheridan Irish Times)

A monumental book on a monumental subject ... Rich and illuminating ... No-one who reads it will think about consumer society in the same way (Revista de Libros)

[Empire of Things] is wider in scope geographically, historically and socially than anything preceding it ... The epilogue to this story of consumption is salutary: history is essential to our understanding of the continuing rise in material consumption far beyond a sustainable level (Ethical Consumer)

Jam-packed with telling facts and counterintuitive provocations ... Empire of Things is that rare tour d'horizon that expands your sense of what should count as the subject ... A bracing argument (New York Review of Books)

From the Back Cover:

What we consume has become the defining feature of our lives: our economies live or die by spending, we are treated more as consumers than workers, and even public services are presented to us as products in a supermarket. In this monumental study, acclaimed historian Frank Trentmann unfolds the extraordinary history that has shaped our material world, from late Ming China, Renaissance Italy and the British empire to the present. Astonishingly wide-ranging and richly detailed, Empire of Things explores how we have come to live with so much more, how this changed the course of history, and the global challenges we face as a result.
Recensie(s)
Utterly fascinating ... What makes Trentmann's book such a pleasure to read is not just the wealth of detail or the staggering international range, but the refreshing absence of moaning or moralising about our supposed addiction to owning more stuff -- Dominic Sandbrook Sunday Times You can't not learn something new here ... [An] epic tale -- Marcus Tanner Independent I read Empire Of Things with unflagging fascination ... [Trentmann] is not only an elegant, adventurous and colourful writer, he also manages the tricky balancing act of being eminently sensible and gleefully provocative -- John Preston Daily Mail [Empire of Things] is wider in scope geographically, historically and socially than anything preceding it ... The epilogue to this story of consumption is salutary: history is essential to our understanding of the continuing rise in material consumption far beyond a sustainable level Ethical Consumer

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0141028742
• ISBN 13: 9780141028743
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 912