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1000 Extra/Ordinary Objects
TASCHEN's 25th anniversary - Special edition! ""It's a visual feast of truly weird and wonderful objects from around the world."" - Sunday Express, London
- GenresArtDesignNonfiction
576 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 14, 2021
A rather fun book full of objects with descriptions in English and French, and with an introduction by Peter Gabriel. These objects can tell a lot about us, and of certain time in history – this book’s stuff is from around 2000/2005, so in some cases history has marched on a little. These are some examples of things familiar, funny, odd, creepy… things that promise things but won’t deliver it, uncomfortable-to-use ones, dangerous ones too (hello landmines), and silly things.
How much of these are really used, and what geographical/culture/gender/faith etc. limits for the use of some are. Some are clearly inventions with limited success changes. With some objects one learns some interesting facts also, like where Jell-O’s gelatin comes from, how some land mines explodes, how the exact ingredients of cigarettes is still a secret and how it can vary from brand to brand, that playing with marbles was forbidden by the Taliban.
Objects are organised in groups:
- eating: food & drunk, tools, containers
- clothes, accessories, make-ups, looks-tools, sex aiders
- ones with animal connection (incl. those about pets)
- body-related (health, sex, etc.)
- belief and mental (incl.some health)
- leisure (incl. toys, clothes, souvenirs)
Some examples: a traveler’s blood bag, canned Barbie-brand food, Hitler wine, a KKK doll, pubic wig, blood-type condoms (from Japan), cowboy boot urn, roadkill taste-enhancer sauce, Hello Kitty credit card, skunk perfume, nipple lightener cream, hayfever glasses, foreskin restorer, Tiffany & Co.’s sterling silver bubble blower, a Zapatista figurine…
The book is a bit heavy to hold, but there’s a lot of objects to look at (so reading might take a while), and the photos are done in the true COLORS style. Reading this was more entertaining and informative than I thought it would be, so I would say it was well worth the read.
How much of these are really used, and what geographical/culture/gender/faith etc. limits for the use of some are. Some are clearly inventions with limited success changes. With some objects one learns some interesting facts also, like where Jell-O’s gelatin comes from, how some land mines explodes, how the exact ingredients of cigarettes is still a secret and how it can vary from brand to brand, that playing with marbles was forbidden by the Taliban.
Objects are organised in groups:
- eating: food & drunk, tools, containers
- clothes, accessories, make-ups, looks-tools, sex aiders
- ones with animal connection (incl. those about pets)
- body-related (health, sex, etc.)
- belief and mental (incl.some health)
- leisure (incl. toys, clothes, souvenirs)
Some examples: a traveler’s blood bag, canned Barbie-brand food, Hitler wine, a KKK doll, pubic wig, blood-type condoms (from Japan), cowboy boot urn, roadkill taste-enhancer sauce, Hello Kitty credit card, skunk perfume, nipple lightener cream, hayfever glasses, foreskin restorer, Tiffany & Co.’s sterling silver bubble blower, a Zapatista figurine…
The book is a bit heavy to hold, but there’s a lot of objects to look at (so reading might take a while), and the photos are done in the true COLORS style. Reading this was more entertaining and informative than I thought it would be, so I would say it was well worth the read.
November 24, 2010
Interesting for 5 minutes.
July 12, 2012
An excellent book to browse through when you just want to switch off and be amused
May 30, 2007
A fun, open picture book. Definitely a good pickup for a coffee table discussion piece.
July 21, 2008
Very interesting look at many things I never even knew existed. Book is full of full cover photos.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews