Choosing and using objects is a primal human activity, and this book is nothing less than a portait of humanity as the species that shops. It explores the history of acquisition--finding, choosing, spending--from our amber-coveting Neolithic forebears to Renaissance nobles who outfitted themselves for power to twenty-first-century bargain hunters looking for a good buy on eBay. This book explores the minds of shoppers in the quest to nourish and feed fantasies, to define individually, to provide for family, and to satisfy the needs for celebration, power, and choice--all of which lead us to malls, boutiques, websites, and superstores.
