Magnet

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

For over two thousand years magnets have inspired tales of myth, magic, exploration, science, and art. From the physical to the metaphorical, our language is littered with magnetic allusions: magnetic personalities, animal magnetism, mesmerism, and magnetic attraction. We take them for granted yet magnets are essential to our existence--as important as gravity--and to our survival on this planet and in this universe.

Eva Barbarossa's Magnet weaves together stories of ancient and modern wonders, of discovery and creation, of madness and desire, of beauty and awe, taking us from the spectacle of the aurora borealis to the disastrous searches for the North Pole.

Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

Auteur

Eva Barbarossa is Director of Design Research & Strategy at Wondros, a media and strategic consultancy company based in Los Angeles, USA. Previously, she has been a Director of Digital Strategy at Verizon, Design Director of Future Products Lab at AOL, and Group Planning Director, Digital Strategy, at Healthcare and Wellness.

Contenu

Prologue In which I eat hundreds of magnets.
1. Birth In which humans find a stone with magical properties.
2. Earth In which we discover we live on an ancient magnet.
3. Home In which we use magnets to find our way.
4. Alignment In which man and beast align to the magnetic fields.
5. North In which we hunt for polar magnets.
6. Health In which we believe magnets harm and heal.
7. Transcendence In which magnetic fluids provide hope.
8. Tricks In which we use magnets to make trouble.
9. Toys In which we find magnets for play and pedagogy.
10. Technology In which everything needs a magnet.
Afterword In which I do not eat more magnets.
Acknowledgements
Selected sources
Notes
Index