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Wonderland : how play made the modern world / Steven Johnson.
Author
Johnson, Steven, 1968-
[Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/Created
New York : Riverhead Books, 2016.
Description
322 pages : illustrations (some color), color map ; 24 cm
Availability
Copies in the Library
Location
Call Number
Status
Location Service
Notes
Firestone Library - Stacks
GV1200 .J64 2016
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Details
Subject(s)
Amusements
—
History
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Library of Congress genre(s)
History
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Summary note
"Explores the world-changing innovations we made while keeping ourselves entertained. Play has always been more important than most people realize. In this vivid examination of the power of play and delight, Steven Johnson offers a surprising history of popular entertainment. Roving from medieval kitchens and ancient taverns to casinos and shopping malls, he locates the cutting edge of innovation wherever people are working hardest to keep themselves and others amused. Johnson's storytelling is just as entertaining as the inventions he describes, full of surprising stops along the journey from simple concepts to complex modern systems. He introduces us to the colorful innovators of leisure: the explorers, proprietors, showmen, and artists who changed the trajectory of history with their luxurious wares, musical instruments, exotic meals, gathering places, video games, and magic shows. These wonderlands of amusement did more than just entertain their patrons, Johnson argues. They also directly contributed to economic and social revolutions that transformed the modern world. Johnson makes the compelling case that anyone who wants to know where technology and social trends are headed next should be paying close attention to the way we play. If you're looking for the future, you'll find it wherever people are having the most fun."--Dust jacket.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references (pages 287-306) and index.
Contents
Fashion and shopping
Music
Taste
Illusion
Games
Public space.
Show 3 more Contents items
ISBN
9780399184482 ((hardcover))
0399184481 ((hardcover))
9780399184499 ((pbk.))
039918449X ((pbk.))
LCCN
2016035344
OCLC
956633933
Other standard number
40026606298
Statement on language in description
Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage.
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