Description

Book Synopsis
How do objects that have lost their value become valuable once again?

Trade Review
'Original, insightful, and entertaining' -- Ian Stewart, author of Seventeen Equations that Changed the World (Profile Books, 2012)
'Witty and wide-ranging scholarly scholarly study ... a fascinating contribution to cultural theory' -- The Guardian
'A remarkably original and creative book, far ahead of its time. Thompson's analysis is not only a major contribution to the anthropological theorising of waste and value, but it is also highly relevant for the contemporary dilemmas of growth and environmental destruction' -- Thomas Hylland Eriksen, author of Overheating (Pluto, 2016)
'Highly recommended' -- CHOICE

Table of Contents
Foreword by Joshua O. Reno
Preface
Introduction to the New Edition
1. The Filth in the Way
2. Stevengraphs - Yesterday’s Kitsch
3. Rat-infested Slum or Glorious Heritage?
4. From Things to Ideas
5. A Dynamic Theory of Rubbish
6. Art and the Ends of Economic Activity
7. Monster Conservation
8. The Geometry of Credibility
9. The Geometry of Confidence
10. The Needle’s Eye
Afterword (co-authored by M. Bruce Beck)
Notes
Index

Rubbish Theory

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    A Paperback / softback by Michael Thompson, Joshua O. Reno

    £24.29

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    RRP £26.99 – you save £2.70 (10%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Fri 18 Sep 2026.

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      Book details

      Publisher Pluto Press
      Published 20 June 2017
      ISBN-13 9780745399782
      978-0745399782
      ISBN-10 0745399789
      Also in:
      Theory of art Cultural studies Social attitudes

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      How do objects that have lost their value become valuable once again?

      Trade Review
      'Original, insightful, and entertaining' -- Ian Stewart, author of Seventeen Equations that Changed the World (Profile Books, 2012)
      'Witty and wide-ranging scholarly scholarly study ... a fascinating contribution to cultural theory' -- The Guardian
      'A remarkably original and creative book, far ahead of its time. Thompson's analysis is not only a major contribution to the anthropological theorising of waste and value, but it is also highly relevant for the contemporary dilemmas of growth and environmental destruction' -- Thomas Hylland Eriksen, author of Overheating (Pluto, 2016)
      'Highly recommended' -- CHOICE

      Table of Contents
      Foreword by Joshua O. Reno
      Preface
      Introduction to the New Edition
      1. The Filth in the Way
      2. Stevengraphs - Yesterday’s Kitsch
      3. Rat-infested Slum or Glorious Heritage?
      4. From Things to Ideas
      5. A Dynamic Theory of Rubbish
      6. Art and the Ends of Economic Activity
      7. Monster Conservation
      8. The Geometry of Credibility
      9. The Geometry of Confidence
      10. The Needle’s Eye
      Afterword (co-authored by M. Bruce Beck)
      Notes
      Index

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