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The Substance of Style

Front Cover
28 Reviews
HarperCollins, Mar 17, 2009 - 272 pages

Whether it's sleek leather pants, a shiny new Apple computer, or a designer toaster, we make important decisions as consumers every day based on our sensory experience. Sensory appeals are everywhere, and they are intensifying, radically changing how Americans live and work. The twenty-first century has become the age of aesthetics, and whether we realize it or not, this influence has taken over the marketplace, and much more.

In this penetrating, keenly observed book, Virginia Postrel makes the argument that appearance counts, that aesthetic value is real. Drawing from fields as diverse as fashion, real estate, politics, design, and economics, Postrel deftly chronicles our culture's aesthetic imperative and argues persuasively that it is a vital component of a healthy, forward-looking society.

Intelligent, incisive, and thought-provoking, The Substance of Style is a groundbreaking portrait of the democratization of taste and a brilliant examination of the way we live now.

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Great read for insights into modern consumer culture. - Goodreads
Very interesting premise, too thin on material. - Goodreads
This isn't a bad book and Postrel is a gifted writer. - Goodreads

Review: The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness

User Review  - Ed Maguire - Goodreads

This makes the case why design is becoming so important, furthering Daniel Pink's thesis in A Whole New Mind Read full review

Review: The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness

User Review  - Lavalette Erica - Goodreads

Though it is said as one of the most notable book by New York Time, I'm kinda disappointed. I couldn't read further than 50 pages, and I almost closed my eyes everytime I reached the end of every ... Read full review

All 28 reviews »

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References from web pages

Does It Come in Chrome? - New York Times
Does It Come in Chrome? E-MAIL · Print · Single-Page; Save. By KAREN LEHRMAN. Published: November 16, 2003. The Substance of Style ...
query.nytimes.com/ gst/ fullpage.html?res=9902E2D81539F935A25752C1A9659C8B63

The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is ...
So says Virginia Postrel in her latest book, The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness. ...
www.boxesandarrows.com/ view/ the_substance_of_style_how_the_rise_of_aesthetic_value_is_remaking_commerce_culture_and_...

Regina Lee Blaszczyk - The Substance of Style: How the Rise of ...
The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness. By Virginia Postrel. New York: harpercollins, 2003 ...
muse.jhu.edu/ demo/ technology_and_culture/ v046/ 46.1blaszczyk.html

Andrew Olmsted: The Substance of Style
September 08, 2003. The Substance of Style. Better late than never, I finished The Substance of Style today and was quite impressed. ...
andrewolmsted.com/ archives/ 2003/ 09/ the_substance_o.html

The Substance of Style
font size: Change text to small (default) Change text to medium Change text to large. Stock quotes from Yahoo! Finance ...
blog.fastcompany.com/ archives/ 2004/ 03/ 14/ the_substance_of_style.html

Dynamist.com: The Substance of Style by Virginia Postrel
Home · Blog · The Future And Its Enemies The Substance of Style Articles · Speaking · Glamour · Variety · Contact · Search ...
www.dynamist.com/ tsos/ index.html

Design Rules! Excerpts from Virginia Postrel’s The Substance of ...
Virginia Postrel, The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness ...
www.tompeters.com/ slides/ uploaded/ VP101104.ppt

Orange Cone: The Substance of Style
Mike Kuniavsky's public notebook. email me at: blog c/o this site. « The Panoptic Prison 2.0 | Main | An essay on Animism and Ubiquitous Computing » ...
www.orangecone.com/ archives/ 000054.html

usnews.com: Opinion: Michael Barone on Virginia Postrel's new book ...
advertisement. us News & World Report. Thursday, April 10, 2008. Subscribe |; Contact Us. Search us News. Nation & World · Health · Money & Business ...
www.usnews.com/ usnews/ opinion/ baroneweb/ mb_030912.htm

WNYC - Books: The Substance of Style
April 18, 2008 | 51°F Clear sky · WNYC Home · NEWS · MUSIC · ARTS · Vote 2008 · Shows · All Things Considered · Brian Lehrer · Evening Music...
www.wnyc.org/ books/ 20806

About the author (2009)

Virginia Postrel writes an economics column for the New York Times and is the author of The Future and Its Enemies: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, and Progress. She lives in Dallas, Texas.

Bibliographic information