The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness
Language: English
Published by HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 2003
- Hardcover
- Used
Seller: World of Books Inc, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.World of Books Inc
AbeBooks seller since March 23, 2026
Condition: Used - Good
£ 4.88
Quantity: 4 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Whether it's sleek leather pants, a shiny new Apple computer, or a designer toaster, consumers make purchasing decisions every day based on sensory experience. Aesthetic appeals are everywhere, and they are intensifying, radically changing how Americans live, work, and spend. Drawing from fields as diverse as economics, fashion, real estate, politics and design, Postrel deftly chronicles culture's aesthetic imperative and argues persuasively that it is a vital component of a healthy, forward-looking society. "Thanks to affluence and technology, among much else, the way things look matters as much to us now as what they do. . . . . Ms. Postrel makes a persuasive and well-researched case for the value of such magic. Far from being at odds with 'substance,' as various critics have argued, it has a meaning all its own."-Wall Street Journal"Provocative. . . .Underlying Postrel's trenchant social observations is a jaunty economic libertarianism. . . . She punctures the cult of authenticity . . . and demolishes the false dichotomy between substance and style."-Washington Post Book World. …
Seller Inventory # CIN0060186321G
- Title
- The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness
- Author
- Virginia Postrel
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers Inc
- Publication year
- 2003
- Condition
- Good
- Binding
- Hardback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0060186321
- ISBN 13
- 9780060186326
From airport terminals decorated like Starbucks to the popularity of hair dye among teenage boys, one thing is clear: we have entered the Age of Aesthetics. Sensory appeals are everywhere, and they are intensifying, radically changing how Americans live and work.
We expect every strip mall and city block to offer designer coffee, a copy shop with do-it-yourself graphics workstations, and a nail salon for manicures on demand. Every startup, product, or public space calls for an aesthetic touch, which gives us more choices, and more responsibility. By now, we all rely on style to express identity. And aesthetics has become too important to be left to the aesthetes.
In this penetrating, keenly observed book, Virginia Postrel shows that the "look and feel" of people, places, and things are more important than we think. Aesthetic pleasure taps deep human instincts and is essential for creativity and growth. Drawing from fields as diverse as fashion, real estate, politics, design, and economics, Postrel deftly chronicles our culture’s aesthetic imperative and argues persuasively that it is a vital component of a healthy, forward-looking society.
Intelligent, incisive, and thought provoking, The Substance of Style is a groundbreaking portrait of the democratization of taste and a brilliant examination of the way we live now.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
"A profoundly important book. The topic is absurdly under-studied; and Postrel has turned in a magnificent performance."--Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence
"A brilliant analysis ... After reading The Substance of Style, the world will literally look different to you."--Steven Pinker, Professor, MIT, and author of How the Mind Works and The Blank Slate
"[Postrel] connects a million seemingly disparate dots into a fresh, clear-eyed, persuasive picture of our culture circa 2003."--Kurt Andersen, author of Turn of the Century
"What a great read! It will heighten your awareness of our newly sculpted aesthetic world."--Karim Rashid, designer
"Provocative. . . demolishes the false dichotomy between substance and style."--Washington Post Book World
"Virginia Postrel . . . writes perceptively about everything on which her penetrating gaze alights."--George F. Will, Washington Post
"A work vast in its range, profound in its depth, rich in its detail."--Robert Venturi, architect
"Marvelously informative...Brightly argued...Even when Postrel's examples are familiar, the specifics can be eye-popping....It's groundbreaking."--Atlantic Monthly
A brilliant analysis ... After reading The Substance of Style, the world will literally look different to you. --Steven Pinker, Professor, MIT, and author of How the Mind Works and The Blank Slate"
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
World of Books Inc
Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since March 23, 2026
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 4 to 12 business days | 3 to 6 business days |
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| First item | £ 0.00 | £ 8.30 |
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Founded in 2002, World of Books is a leading online destination for buying and selling both preloved and new books, committed to making sustainable reading accessible to all. With a mission to help people read more and waste less, World of Books offers a huge range of affordable, high-quality books — giving both new and preloved titles a second life. The company also operates World of Books – Sell Your Books, an easy-to-use platform that allows customers to trade in unwanted books for cash, helping to keep books in circulation while promoting sustainability. As a Certified B Corp, World of Books is driven by a vision to become the world’s largest and most sustainable dedicated online bookstore. The company measures its success through the positive environmental impact it creates, the value it provides to customers, and its ability to operate profitably while supporting its sustainable mission …
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