Quintessence: The Quality of Having It

The perfect coffee table book for those who appreciate the finer elements of ordinary things, this beautifully photographed volume displays with the design flair of a museum show the ultimate iconic items. The thoughtful, intellectual--often irreverent--commentary on these commonplace things alongside the artistic photographs of each--over 75 in total--entertains with the search for soul in products that we know and probably use or have used. Whether they agree or disagree with the authors--and this is part of the fun--readers will delight in the homage to these things that we appreciate but rarely take the time to venerate. The martini, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a Mont Blanc pen--these things are not just drinks, foods or writing utensils, "they exhibit a rare and mysterious capacity to be just exactly what they ought to be," as the authors write. We get excited about them, not because they are the "best" but because they have an elusive combination of style, class and utility. The collection is astonishingly eclectic, yet with a flip through the pages readers instinctively understand the connection.