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The Shape of Difficulty: A Fan Letter to Unruly Objects by Bret L. Rothstein (En
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Located in: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Estimated between Wed, 15 May and Thu, 23 May to 43230
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eBay item number:395315628516
Item specifics
- Condition
- Brand New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. See all condition definitionsopens in a new window or tab
- ISBN-13
- 9780271082424
- Type
- Does not apply
- ISBN
- 9780271082424
- Book Title
- Shape of Difficulty : a Fan Letter to Unruly Objects
- Item Length
- 9in
- Publisher
- Pennsylvania STATE University Press
- Publication Year
- 2019
- Format
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- Item Height
- 9in
- Genre
- Art, Games & Activities
- Topic
- Logic & Brain Teasers, Criticism & Theory, Puzzles
- Item Width
- 7in
- Item Weight
- 32.9 Oz
- Number of Pages
- 228 Pages
About this product
Product Information
What is it about puzzles that drives us to figure them out? In this unique and innovative book, Bret L. Rothstein explores how mechanical problems delight and frustrate us, distracting our attention from recognizably "useful activities and directing it toward something that may be even more important. All too often puzzles can seem like some kind of cruel test to be beaten or passed. But according to Rothstein, they really want nothing more than for us to drop what we are doing and play. In that way, they can actually enhance consciousness, as we are perhaps never more aware than when we grapple with an object that refuses to satisfy our expectations. The Shape of Difficulty is an ode to and exploration of these "unruly objects--Rubik's cubes, geometric dissections, secret-opening boxes, string disentanglements, and so many more--that bring interpretive failure out of the shadows and allow it to take center stage in physical ways. While many puzzles may offer perceptible expressions of mathematical concepts, logical propositions, and logistical problems, this book urges readers to dwell for a while with objects that, built specifically to be misunderstood, demand that we reconsider our approaches to understanding--and, in the bargain, how we conceive of the interpretive self. Drawing on landmark theories of play, Rothstein's richly illustrated meditation on our fascination with objects reveals the lasting allure of puzzles while underscoring the intellectual worth of doubt, failure, and idle time.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Pennsylvania STATE University Press
ISBN-10
0271082429
ISBN-13
9780271082424
eBay Product ID (ePID)
8038299812
Product Key Features
Book Title
Shape of Difficulty : a Fan Letter to Unruly Objects
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Topic
Logic & Brain Teasers, Criticism & Theory, Puzzles
Publication Year
2019
Genre
Art, Games & Activities
Number of Pages
228 Pages
Dimensions
Item Length
9in
Item Height
9in
Item Width
7in
Item Weight
32.9 Oz
Additional Product Features
Lc Classification Number
Gv1493.R73 2019
Reviews
"In sketching this appreciation of puzzles, Rothstein offers us a sensitive and perceptive introduction to their charms as well as their importance." --Keith Moxey caa.reviews, " The Shape of Difficulty is an excellent book. If you are interested in material enigmas, this is a book you should read. If you want to delve deeper into the terms of your own interpretive acts, this is a book you must read." --Jessica Keating Art History, "An innovative, charming, and mysterious study about puzzles. Bret Rothstein's book provides readers with unusual and unexpected insights into the enigmatic world of people who make puzzles and those who aspire to solve them." --Branko Mitrovic,author of Rage and Denials: Collectivist Philosophy, Politics, and Art Historiography, 1890-1947, "And yet, though Rothstein is getting unabashedly granular on the field of enigmatology--a field that attracts mathematicians, engineers, and literal rocket scientists more often than fine artists--he manages to present his findings and musings in highly accessible and even funny language. The sincere joy he takes in unraveling the philosophy behind difficult objects is not lost in his academic formatting." --Sarah Rose Sharp Hyperallergic, " The Shape of Difficulty is an excellent book. If you are interested in material enigmas, this is a book you should read. If you want to delve deeper into the terms of your own interpretive acts, this is a book you must read." --Jessica Keating, Art History, "Embracing difficulty rather than avoiding it, Rothstein reveals a rich landscape of faints and foils, challenging chokepoints and seductive passageways. From classic burr and disentanglement puzzles to elegant puzzle boxes and even more baffling devices, come explore the pleasures of tactility, dexterity, geometry, problem-solving, but also the tantalizing appeal of misdirection and defeat, however temporary. This book will appeal to puzzlers seeking a more sophisticated philosophy of their art form, but also to anyone interested in the scholarship on play and games." -Alexander R. Galloway, author of Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture, "By their very nature, puzzles pose challenges--for both their makers and their solvers. How much more, then, does the actual study of puzzles challenge existing categories of scholarship! There is (as yet) no academic department of enigmatology, but if there were, this book would be its primer; however, this is no mere survey. Ranging across examples of 'unruly objects' in varied materials from the Renaissance to the present, Bret Rothstein's analyses make work out of play and vice versa, and we are all beneficiaries of his brilliant insights--dare one say decryptions?" --Larry Silver, author of Marketing Maximilian: The Visual Ideology of a Holy Roman Emperor, "An innovative, charming, and mysterious study about puzzles. Bret Rothstein's book provides readers with unusual and unexpected insights into the enigmatic world of people who make puzzles and those who aspire to solve them." --Branko Mitrovic, author of Rage and Denials: Collectivist Philosophy, Politics, and Art Historiography, 1890-1947, "Embracing difficulty rather than avoiding it, Rothstein reveals a rich landscape of feints and foils, challenging chokepoints and seductive passageways. From classic burr and disentanglement puzzles to elegant puzzle boxes and even more baffling devices, come explore the pleasures of tactility, dexterity, geometry, problem-solving, but also the tantalizing appeal of misdirection and defeat, however temporary. This book will appeal to puzzlers seeking a more sophisticated philosophy of their art form, but also to anyone interested in the scholarship on play and games." --Alexander R. Galloway,author of Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture, "And yet, though Rothstein is getting unabashedly granular on the field of enigmatology--a field that attracts mathematicians, engineers, and literal rocket scientists more often than fine artists--he manages to present his findings and musings in highly accessible and even funny language. The sincere joy he takes in unraveling the philosophy behind difficult objects is not lost in his academic formatting." --Sarah Rose Sharp, Hyperallergic, "An innovative, charming, and mysterious study about puzzles. Bret Rothstein's book provides readers with unusual and unexpected insights into the enigmatic world of people who make puzzles and those who aspire to solve them." -Branko Mitrovic, author of Rage and Denials: Collectivist Philosophy, Politics, and Art Historiography, 1890-1947, "And yet, though Rothstein is getting unabashedly granular on the field of enigmatology-a field that attracts mathematicians, engineers, and literal rocket scientists more often than fine artists-he manages to present his findings and musings in highly accessible and even funny language. The sincere joy he takes in unraveling the philosophy behind difficult objects is not lost in his academic formatting." -Sarah Rose Sharp, Hyperallergic, "By their very nature, puzzles pose challenges--for both their makers and their solvers. How much more, then, does the actual study of puzzles challenge existing categories of scholarship! There is (as yet) no academic department of enigmatology, but if there were, this book would be its primer; however, this is no mere survey. Ranging across examples of 'unruly objects' in varied materials from the Renaissance to the present, Bret Rothstein's analyses make work out of play and vice versa, and we are all beneficiaries of his brilliant insights--dare one say decryptions?" --Larry Silver,author of Marketing Maximilian: The Visual Ideology of a Holy Roman Emperor, "In sketching this appreciation of puzzles, Rothstein offers us a sensitive and perceptive introduction to their charms as well as their importance." --Keith Moxey, caa.reviews, "By their very nature, puzzles pose challenges-for both their makers and their solvers. How much more, then, does the actual study of puzzles challenge existing categories of scholarship! There is (as yet) no academic department of enigmatology, but if there were, this book would be its primer; however, this is no mere survey. Ranging across examples of 'unruly objects' in varied materials from the Renaissance to the present, Bret Rothstein's analyses make work out of play and vice versa, and we are all beneficiaries of his brilliant insights-dare one say decryptions?" -Larry Silver, author of Marketing Maximilian: The Visual Ideology of a Holy Roman Emperor, "Embracing difficulty rather than avoiding it, Rothstein reveals a rich landscape of feints and foils, challenging chokepoints and seductive passageways. From classic burr and disentanglement puzzles to elegant puzzle boxes and even more baffling devices, come explore the pleasures of tactility, dexterity, geometry, problem-solving, but also the tantalizing appeal of misdirection and defeat, however temporary. This book will appeal to puzzlers seeking a more sophisticated philosophy of their art form, but also to anyone interested in the scholarship on play and games." --Alexander R. Galloway, author of Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture, "Embracing difficulty rather than avoiding it, Rothstein reveals a rich landscape of feints and foils, challenging chokepoints and seductive passageways. From classic burr and disentanglement puzzles to elegant puzzle boxes and even more baffling devices, come explore the pleasures of tactility, dexterity, geometry, problem-solving, but also the tantalizing appeal of misdirection and defeat, however temporary. This book will appeal to puzzlers seeking a more sophisticated philosophy of their art form, but also to anyone interested in the scholarship on play and games." -Alexander R. Galloway, author of Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture
Table of Content
Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Some Potentially Useful Terms Introduction: What We Talk About When We Talk About Difficulty 1 Simplicity and the Perils of Common Sense 2 Complexity and the Problem of Finding Your Way 3 De-emphasis and the Force of Mental Rumor 4 Misdirection and the Question of Interpretive Congruence 5 Subject and Not-Subject in Enigmatology Conclusion: Why Bother Notes Bibliography Index
Copyright Date
2019
Lccn
2018-055870
Intended Audience
Trade
Illustrated
Yes
Item description from the seller
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:395315628516
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Item location:
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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