The Small Stuff by Ian Bogost - ISBN: 9780241703465
Hardcover
Rediscover joy by embracing the tactile pleasures of our material world.
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The Small Stuff

The Sensory Enchantment of Everyday Life

$42.90

  • Hardcover

    240 pages

  • Release Date

    6 October 2026

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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 From digital tickets to automated taps, he argues that the simple, tactile pleasures of daily life have been replaced by sleek but soulless desi…

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:6 October 2026
Weight:342g
Dimensions:223mm x 143mm x 25mm
What They're Saying

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 *
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

About The Author

Ian Bogost

Ian Bogost is a contributing writer at The Atlantic. He is the Barbara and David Thomas Distinguished Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where he is also a professor of computer science and engineering, film and media studies, and art and design. Bogost is the author of ten books, including Play Anything. Bogost is also an award-winning game designer whose work has been played by millions of people and has been held in collections internationally, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

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