"Where does a password end and an identity begin? A person might be more than his chosen ten-character combination, but does a bank know that? Or an email provider? What's an 'identity theft' in the digital age if not the unauthorized use of a password? In untangling the histories, cultural contexts and philosophies of the password, Martin Paul Eve explores how 'what we know' became 'who we are', revealing how the modern notion of identity has been...

"Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. What exactly is jet lag? And, more importantly, how do we live with jet lag? Christopher J. Lee's book introduces jet lag as an object of study, tracing medical, temporal, and technological approaches for understanding this strange, hidden cost of our populist cosmopolitanism today. Drawing upon personal experience and an array of cultural registers,...

"A funny, lyrical, illuminating book on the rich and little known history of the humble sock, its various incarnations throughout the world, and on what socks teach us about the frailty and awkwardness of the human body"-- Provided by publisher.

"Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Tree explores the forms, uses, and alliances of this living object's entanglement with humanity, from antiquity to the present. Trees tower over us and yet fade into background. Their lifespan outstrips ours, and yet their wisdom remains inscrutable, treasured up in the heartwood. They serve us in many ways--as keel, lodgepole, and execution...

"Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. It's happening all the time, all around us. We cover it up. We ignore it. Rust takes on the many meanings of this oxidized substance, showing how technology bleeds into biology and ecology. Jean-Michel Rabaté combines art, science, and autobiography to share his fascination with peeling paints and rusty metal sheets. Rust, he concludes, is...

"High Heel is a dive into the labyrinthine nature of modern womanhood and sexual politics, with the world's most provocative fashion accessory as its point of entry"-- Provided by publisher.

"We tend to have romanticized and sentimental ideas about birds. But what is it about birds that so captivates us? And what does this captivation, in its various forms, say about us humans?"-- Provided by publisher.

"Explores our collective desire for invisible, ethereal, and ubiquitous connectivity, however much steel, cement, and cable it takes to sustain that desire"-- Provided by publisher.