For 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.'

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

Author: Rolf Potts
Illustrator: Cedar Van Tassel
Editors: Christopher Schaberg / Ian Bogost
Series: Object Lessons
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Pages: 144pp
Size: 5 x 7.5
Notes: paperback
Release Date: March 18. 2018
ISBN: 978-1501329418