{"product_id":"souvenir-9781501329418","title":"Souvenir","description":"\u003cp\u003eObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor as long as people have traveled to distant lands, they have brought home objects to certify the journey. More than mere merchandise, these travel souvenirs take on a personal and cultural meaning that goes beyond the object itself. Drawing on several millennia of examples-from the relic-driven quests of early Christians, to the mass-produced tchotchkes that line the shelves of a Disney gift shop-travel writer Rolf Potts delves into a complicated history that explores issues of authenticity, cultural obligation, market forces, human suffering, and self-presentation. Souvenirs are shown for what they really are: not just objects, but personalized forms of folk storytelling that enable people to make sense of the world and their place in it.' \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eObject Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eSouvenir features illustrations by \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eCedar Van Tassel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRolf Potts\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eVagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel\u003c\/i\u003e (2003), which has sold more than 150,000 copies and has been translated into five languages. His other publications include \u003ci\u003eMarco Polo Didn't Go There: Stories and Revelations From One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer \u003c\/i\u003e(2008), which won the Chatwin Prize for international travel writing in 2009, and \u003ci\u003eThe Geto Boys \u003c\/i\u003e(33 1\/3 series, Bloomsbury, 2016).\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ePotts has reported from more than 60 countries worldwide, for the likes of \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e The Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Believer\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, Slate.com, Salon.com, \u003ci\u003eNational Geographic Traveler\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e, the\u003ci\u003e Los Angeles Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51985484644626,"sku":"9781501329418","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e9a349a6-efa5-42ee-8208-c456bc0c1694.jpg?v=1769537344","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/souvenir-9781501329418","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}