The Small Stuff
The Sensory Enchantment of Everyday Life
$42.30
- Hardcover
240 pages
- Release Date
13 October 2026
Summary
A lively and witty guide to reclaiming connection with our physical world
In an era dominated by convenience and efficiency, you’d think life would be easier and, most importantly, happier. Shouldn’t all the time saved by technology leave us with more for ourselves? The Atlantic columnist, game designer and philosopher Ian Bogost thinks not. From digital tickets to automated taps, he argues that the simple, tactile pleasures of daily life have been replaced by sleek but soulless desig…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780241703465 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0241703468 |
| Author: | Ian Bogost |
| Publisher: | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Imprint: | Allen Lane |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 240 |
| Release Date: | 13 October 2026 |
| Weight: | 342g |
| Dimensions: | 25mm x 143mm x 223mm |
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Critics Review
A manifesto for tuning into the tiny opportunities for gratification being human offers… from the first few pages I feel instinctively that tapping into these tiny enchantments could be life-enhancing… But it also felt quite profound to recognise my simple bodily existence has so much to offer, if I let it – Emma Beddington * Guardian *
A delightful paean to the pleasures of small things – Kathryn Hughes * Sunday Times *
Very entertaining… immensely cheering, and will have you looking at the moquette patterns on public transport in a new light… Bogost believes that the material world is teeming with unexpected opportunities for sensual pleasure, and all we have to do is allow ourselves to experience them – Marcus Berkmann * Mail on Sunday *
A clarion call to rediscover the quiet joys woven into everyday routines. … This wonderful book reminds us that happiness isn’t out of reach. Rather, it’s right under our fingertips – Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of Supercommunicators and The Power of Habit
I loved this profound, witty, and quietly revolutionary book. Ian Bogost makes the liberating case that the material world is teeming with unexpected opportunities for life-enhancing sensory pleasure – and that all we need to do is to allow ourselves to experience them – Oliver Burkeman
The world tells us that the path to happiness is to go bigger in everything: experiences, success, consumption—all of it. In The Small Stuff, Ian Bogost shows us why this is the wrong approach to the good life—that the true secret lies in discovering life’s little delights – Arthur C. Brooks, Harvard Professor and #1 New York Times bestselling author of From Strength to Strength
Ian Bogost
Ian Bogost is the Barbara and David Thomas Distinguished Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. He holds professorships in computer science and engineering, film and media studies, and art and design. Bogost is the author of ten books, including Play Anything. He is also an award-winning game designer whose work has been played by millions and is held in international collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
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